


House Black

by SolamenteCelia



Category: Furry (Fandom), Sergals - Fandom
Genre: Cobras, Dragons, F/F, F/M, Foxes, Furries, Gnoll, Military, Original Character(s), Skunks, Snakes, Snow leopards, War, sergal - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:41:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 114,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24283795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolamenteCelia/pseuds/SolamenteCelia
Summary: The kingdom’s security is under threat following an invasion from the sergals, but the worst is still to come. It’s up to a general, her company, and their new friends to avert the coming war, if that’s even possible.(Adapted from an RP)
Kudos: 12





	1. An Early Morning

The day was still new as she awoke in her bed. She could feel a slight hangover from the previous night, but it was nothing she couldn’t push through. She had a war counsel meeting with the other generals and king’s advisors soon. Their stated goal was to come up with a plan to deal with the possibility of an imminent sergal invasion that seemed to have everyone worried. Scouts of a previously unknown species known as “sergals” had been spotted near a port city known as Lightkeep. This name was only known because a couple Kas Ragnoc scouts had briefly been captured by one of the invaders and informed them that the city would be taken over soon, claiming it was rightfully theirs.

Ruby groggily rolled out of bed. Though the meeting wasn’t scheduled for another few hours, she figured she ought to be well awake for something of such importance.

She sniffed the air as she stretched, and that’s when she felt as if she could smell herself. Had she sprayed someone last night? She honestly couldn’t remember. Still, she figured a bath would be a good idea, even if just to wake her up more thoroughly. She carried a clean general’s uniform with her as she headed down the road.

The bathhouse she frequented was only a street away. The day was cloudy, but warm. People gave her space as she walked due to some combination of her infamous reputation as well as her high ranking in the Kas Ragnoc military.

Arriving at the bath, she saw a few of her soldiers there, evidently heading into the bath as well. When they saw her, they stood up a bit straighter and tried to look presentable. “Morning, ma’am!”

Ruby gave a lazy salute to them, still feeling quite tired. “At ease,” she said before walking past them into the women’s changing room.

A few other women were already chatting in the changing room as the skunk walked in. They seemed to flash her a less than favorable look as she entered. Perhaps they didn’t approve of the number of female ‘friends’ Ruby tended to take with her on bathhouse visits, or perhaps they just disliked her smell. Either way, the skunk general didn’t pay them any mind as she disrobed and wrapped a towel around her chest before strutting into the communal bath area.

As soon as she entered, several others left the bath, scoffing or pretending to have business elsewhere. As the two soldiers emerge from the men’s changing room, they go from confident men showing off their bare bodies to almost submissive as they walk into the waters shared with their general. The fox was a bit braver than the other soldier, sitting only a few feet away from the skunk. “Good morning, General. How late were you out at the bar last night? You lasted much longer than I did!” He laughed nervously, hoping she’d be in a good mood.

She looked up from the water. She appeared to be so tired that she was in something a trance, just looking down at the ripples her body created across the surface of the bathwater.

“Hmm? Oh. Morning, Geraldson.” She thought for a second about the question she’d just been asked. “Gods, I can’t even remember,” she groaned, rubbing her eyes. She recalled the scent she’d picked up on that same morning. “Did you see if I got into a fight with someone?”

The two soldiers looked at each other, then at Ruby, almost nervous to answer her. “You don’t remember? At all?” the wolf, Thomas, asked before getting out of the water and bringing over a small mirror. He handed it to the general and she peered into it. She had a nice, big bruise over her cheek that was visible even through her dark fur. “You and Captain Collins again,” Thomas explained. “If it makes you feel any better, you definitely won. You even sat on her head… and… sprayed her.”

As the wolf paused, Geraldson added, “You sprayed her twice, ma’am.”

She took the hand mirror and almost immediately dropped her face into the palm of her other hand. “Gods dammit…” she muttered, disappointed in herself though feeling a bit better when she was told how badly she’d skunked that bitch Collins. Still, she didn’t enjoy the fact that she’d be sporting either a black eye or an eyepatch to the important meeting this morning. Her mood again swung up, however, when she inferred that she likely wouldn’t have to see Captain Collins at this meeting.

“Thomas, will you make yourself useful and go get me a cup of coffee from the café across the street?” she asked as if he truly even had a choice. She continued to admire her new shiner in her reflection, occasionally poking at it and flinching.

Thomas immediately panicked so much that he ran across the street without any clothing on at all.

Geraldson waded a bit closer to Ruby with some ice wrapped in a cloth. “It’s really not that bad. I don’t think anyone will bring it up, but if you want I can do a bit of healing for you. I learned a minor miracle or two at my time in the church growing up.”

After watching Thomas sprint fully nude out of the bath, she flashed Geraldson a somewhat doubtful look. “ _ You _ know magic? But you’re just a soldier.” She took the ice from him and gently pressed it to her upper cheek, flinching again as the cold cloth touched her sensitive skin.

“I can’t have a past of my own?” the sergeant said with a bit of a scoff. He leaned back some. “It’s not magic. Magic is all mystical and powerful. No, I get my small amount of power from the gods. It’s nothing major, but it’s going to be useful if we get stabbed out there in battle. So would you like me to help, or are you going to keep flinching?”

She hissed at the young soldier. “You know better than to talk back to your commanding officer like that, boy. Would you like to receive the Captain Collins treatment as well?” she threatened.

He looked up at her. He wanted to seem confident and important, but the skunk’s tone and threats worked on him. “No, ma’am… I apologize. Didn’t think I had to be as formal as usual is all.” Even though they were of a similar height, he looked smaller than her in that moment. “Can I heal you?”

“Fine,” she sighed, removing the ice pack from her eye and moving a bit closer. “And I’m your general. That extends beyond the barracks, for your information. You ought to show some respect, like that lad Thomas.”

“I do show you respect, ma’am. I respect a lot of what you do. But you also got blackout drunk and beat up an ex and rival of yours, and I helped make sure the gossip didn’t spread.” He placed a hand over her eye and muttered a prayer. The woman’s headache faded in an instant, and suddenly she felt well-rested. He pulled away looking a little more tired than he had a moment ago. “There we are, ma’am. You should feel better.”

She flashed him a funny look. “That’s it?” The skunk reached for a hand mirror and gazed into it. To her surprise, the black eye from the previous night was completely gone. It was as if she’d never even had one.

“Yes, ma’am, that’s the strongest I can really do. If it had been something like a cut, I would’ve only been able to scab it. But bruises like this I can heal very well.” He smiled, happy to help.

“Huh. Well…” It was clear she was struggling to get the words out, sincerity not being her strong suit. “Thank you, Sgt. Geraldson…” She set the hand mirror on the tile floor beside her just as the nude wolf rejoined them.

Thomas came running back in with his superior’s coffee, panting hard. “Your… coffee… General!”

“Thomas, please tell me you changed in the locker room and that you haven’t just gone running through the streets, naked as the day you were born.”

The wolf gulped and looked at his friend for help, but the fox was too busy smiling at his boss simply for thanking the sergeant. “W-well you see… I was going to change, but my clothes were the other way, and, um… Oh, please don’t spray me again, ma’am! I’m sorry, I just wanted to be quick!” It was impressive how easily Ruby had made a man double her size grovel and shake in fear.

She displayed a harsh expression at the wolf, but ultimately decided no discipline would be needed for now. After all, public nudity was legal in the kingdom of Kas Ragnoc, although it was generally frowned upon and only practiced by few—generally females, as men had much more to risk exposing. Nipples and vulva could generally only be seen when the surrounding fur was parted or wet. Penises, on the other hand, lacked that subtlety.

“It’s fine,” she sighed. “Just set the coffee down.” The skunk patted the tiles beside where she was sitting. “I have a meeting to get to soon, and I’m not interested in stinking of fresh spray during it.” She lamented the fact that no matter how high she lifted her tail or how far she parted her ass when spraying, the distinct scent would always cling to her rear for the days following any use of her signature weapon.

The wolf set the mug down with a low sigh before climbing back in the water and taking a seat several feet away from the other two, his focus now on getting clean. That focus quickly shifted, however, as a young fox girl came over. She had apparently liked what she saw as Pvt. Thomas was running around in the nude. Her presence seemed to help him relax a bit more after earning the scorn of his general.

Geraldson stood and stretched, giving Ruby a proper, if not exaggerated, salute. “I am heading back to our barracks. Do you have any orders you’d like me to pass on? Or perhaps anyone you’d like me to give a heads up to for an upcoming mission?” Officially, Ruby was still looking for a second in command. Unofficially, Geraldson had taken up the position alongside a few older members of the company who had also been vying for the spot.

The general wasn’t sure she loved how this young man had apparently assumed the position of her second-in-command without her permission. To be sure, he was a kind man and skilled warrior, and he generally took orders from her well, even if he did occasionally talk back to her off-duty. She certainly wouldn’t mind having a right-hand man like him, even if there were higher-ranking subordinates of hers that should technically be considered for the spot first. Still, she hadn’t done anything to officially promote him, and yet he acted like he was second only to the skunk. Perhaps one of these days she’d have to spray him in front of his fellow soldiers to put him in his place.

For now, however, he could serve as a helpful carrier of a message back to her company. “Order them to prepare and pack up as if we’re leaving tonight,” she told the fox. “Of course, we don’t know yet when we’ll be heading out for our next mission, but you know how volatile the current situation is with the sergals. We need to be ready to move out at a moment’s notice. Understood?”

Sergeant Geraldson nodded, appearing fully serious now that he was genuinely engaged in official military business. “Understood. I’ll have them pack the basics then.” He stepped out of the water, quickly dried off to the best of his ability, then looked back to his general. “I enjoyed this meeting, ma’am. I do apologize for speaking out of turn. I assure you I will follow all orders.” He saluted her properly before going to leave. She offered a nod back to the fox shortly before he left.

Pvt. Thomas, on the other hand, stayed in the bathhouse, still quite distracted with his new friend. Other than those two, General Ruby was alone in the ornate, humid bathhouse.

Seeing as she’d been soaking for a while, Ruby felt comfortable in presuming that nearly all the skunky scent she could remove at this time had been removed. She got out of the water, quickly wrapping the coarse, white towel around her chest again.

She glanced over at the wolf and his new ‘acquaintance’. Ruby considered taking this opportunity to spray the wolf for his earlier nudity. After all, spraying someone in front of a romantic interest of theirs was always even more sadistically gratifying for her. Ultimately, however, she decided against it. Not worth the trouble, she told herself as she headed into the locker room to get dressed again.

The locker room was empty for once, so Ruby wouldn’t have to deal with nasty glares or another woman trying to make a move on her. She got dressed and ready, and before long she was on her way to the Royal Palace. The streets were eerily quiet as people didn’t want to be out and about in these unsure times.

The guards of the palace’s front gate let the general in quickly, informing her that the meeting had been begun early. A messenger from the outermost village of the kingdom had just arrived with news of grave importance. Though her nose wasn’t the best of all the species, she could distinctly make out the scent of blood coming from the meeting room ahead of her.

As the doors opened, she saw at least a couple royal guards, two high-ranking admirals of the city, and most notably, the right hand of the king, a lynx by the name of Lord Saxon. Being bandaged by a healer as he lay on the war table in front of Saxon was a ranger. He looked to be stabbed more than a dozen times and had what appeared to be bite marks as well. He looked broken and weak as he coughed and fought for breath. The village he’d just returned from, Lightkeep, was nearly a whole day away, perhaps half a day if one’s horse is ridden at top speeds. With injuries like these, it was a wonder he survived the journey back.

“Good gods, what’s happened here?” Ruby cried as she hurried forward to stand among her fellow military officials. They all quickly turned and gave her a funny look. Ruby realized her mistake just a second later. She’d grown so used to being among her own subordinates that she’d forgotten the manners with which she was meant to act among her superiors. She stopped halfway between the door and the group, then stood tall and firm as she saluted the officers and other royal officials, some of whom she’d apparently alarmed by suddenly rushing into the room as she did. A couple royal guards stood with their halberds pointed at the skunk for a moment before they recognized it was the general herself.

Saxon had a soft, nearly feminine voice that was only just loud enough to be heard. “General Ruby Reynolds? Thank you for arriving so promptly. A lack of formality can be forgiven when faced with a scene like this…” He gave a look to both guards as if to tell them to let it slide, and everyone else relaxed as well. The wounded ranger was a wolf and was holding on to Saxon so tightly that he inadvertently smeared a bit of blood on the lord’s chestplate. “Now breathe, old friend, breathe… What happened to the east village? What happened to Lightkeep?”

The wolf coughed and breathed hard. “It’s… gone, my Lord… Completely and brutally burnt to the ground… No… No one escaped but me. I was already off on patrol when I smelled the smoke…”

Ruby stepped closer to the bleeding man. “And you’re sure it was the sergals that did this?” she asked him. “It couldn’t have been the bear, or even tiger tribes?” Of course, she was nearly certain already what his answer would be, but she needed to get confirmation from the man himself.

“No… No tigers, no bears, no eagles… They move like massive wolves. Armor strange and hard as steel, but flexible enough to run at full speed.”

“How many of them were there?” Ruby probed further.

He shook his head and looked to the skunk with so much fear in his eyes that she could almost feel it. “They attacked at night to hide their true numbers, but there were at least thousands… I don’t lie, ma’am. There were so many…”

Saxon hushed him softly and nodded to the healer to take him away, which she did with the help of the royal guards. “This… changes things…”

Ruby could feel her heart beating faster and faster as she learned of the devastation this previously unknown species could inflict. She looked away from the injured man as he was carried away and directed her attention at her superiors. “Clearly something must be done about this,” she stated the obvious. “What do they want? Did the ranger say they were after something, like gold, food?” the skunk inquired. “Perhaps all-out war can be avoided if we simply remove their need to attack our people.”

One of the admirals spoke in a hushed tone, “He said that he saw massive, caged wagons holding dozens of women. He said—gods, I hope he’s wrong… He said they seemed so hungry that they were eating the men…” The military leaders all looked at each other, next moves no doubt being calculated in their heads.

“There is one simple truth to this,” Saxon said as he stood from his chair. “There must be retaliation for this, and we must gather our forces.”

“But, sir, we don’t have an army of that size,” an admiral said, worried.

Lord Saxon looked at him and simply said, “Then we need to gather allies… The bears, the eagles, all the tribes—it’s time they settle their differences!”

“Lord Saxon,” Ruby said, “respectfully, even if we did get these groups to settle their differences, the tribes’ numbers are minuscule. Collectively, the tribes must be just barely a thousand warriors strong. Even if we were to somehow unite them in spite of all their differences, that still may not be enough to take on an army of thousands and thousands of sergals.”

After leaving the present group in silent contemplation for a moment, Ruby spoke again. “The way I see it, our next step is obvious. We must send a company of men to scout out their true numbers. With all due respect to that brave scout, we cannot entirely rely on a dying man’s estimations. If their numbers are as great as we’ve been led to believe, going to war may be a death wish, and negotiations would be our only viable course of action, barring assistance from neighboring kingdoms. If they are lesser, however, we may stand a fighting chance. Does this seem like a reasonable statement, my liege?”

“It does. That is why your first task is to assemble a party of volunteers and head to what remains of Lightkeep.” He gave Ruby a look of deep trust. “Are you ready for a mission like this, young lady?” Everyone in the room looked to the general for her answer.

She stood up straight again and faced the leopard with a determined face. “Don’t you worry, sir, I will assemble the best of my men and do exactly as you’ve told me.” She saluted.

“All information you gather for Kas Ragnoc will be vital for us as we prepare our defenses. The walls of the city have never crumbled before, and this hoard shan’t succeed either!” The group of men all cheer, invigorated by Lord Saxon’s enthusiasm, before all starting to scatter and return to work—all of them but Saxon, who gave Ruby a long look before nodding and dismissing her with a flick of his hand.

Ruby turned to head for the door, but paused after her first step. “Oh, Royal Advisor?” She pretended to glance around the room. “That’s queer. Captain Collins isn’t here. She must not care all that much about her duties.” Having satisfactorily sabotaged her rival’s character, the skunk smugly continued on to the barracks her company called home.


	2. The Barracks

As General Ruby walked back to the barracks, she could hear shouts associated with exercising and sparring, the whole company hard at work training. As her signature striped form was spotted on its way to the building, a voice boomed out over the training grounds. “General has returned! Form up for inspection and orders!” The voice belonged to an old dragon soldier. He was in fact the very same man Ruby had learned most of her own moves from many years ago. For a few years now he had been helping Ruby train her newer members. Ruby was ecstatic at first to have her lifelong mentor train her soldiers, but more recently she’d been finding herself butting heads with him more and more frequently.

The skunk was glad as all her men and women—though the company consisted mostly of men—lined up and saluted her as she entered the training grounds in the center of the barracks. The building was shaped like a rectangle with a hollow center. Sleeping and eating would be performed in the building itself, while in the center was the training grounds, which, though it once was covered in grass, had been turned to dirt by all the foot traffic as soldiers trained and sparred on it. Her company included around thirty young adults, though that number would occasionally fluctuate as some left due to pressing obligations or injury and fresh recruits eventually would fill their place.

By the time Ruby stepped foot on the hard dirt of the training grounds, everyone had lined up in a single row, all facing her, the dragon excepted. After staring them all down for a few seconds (despite the fact that she was quite impressed with their speedy filing skills), she spoke loudly, “I have an announcement.”

Fang stood at the skunk’s side but a step in front of her so that he may turn and look at her and her soldiers at the same time. He showed her immense respect and loyalty despite not technically being under her command.

Geraldson was at one end of the line. He looked by far the happiest to see his general. No one spoke as they all waited to hear the news.

“The situation with the sergals is more dire than we thought,” she began before calmly yet urgently relaying all the critical information she’d just learned in the palace.

———

“Now, the king’s royal advisor ordered me to collect a group of volunteers to accompany me on this perilous mission,” she informed the troops. “As much as I’d love to force as many of you as possible to offer yourselves up to be picked for the mission, Lord Saxon emphasized that those who accompany me must be volunteers coming of their own free will. Although you can be sure you’ll lose some of my respect—and as a result possibly find yourself the subject of more discipline—if you decline going, I unfortunately cannot force any of you to volunteer.” It was well understood between the skunk and those under her that ‘discipline’ was code for spraying.

“Now… raise your hand if you volunteer.”

Fang chuckled as everyone, albeit at variable rates of sluggishness, did eventually raise their hands. He turned to the leader of the group and said, “Ma’am, we have great troops, fine soldiers, but this isn’t a mission you want just anyone here for. Stealthiness with this many in a hostile environment will get them and yourself killed. I would suggest no more than just five of your stealthiest soldiers… including me, of course.” All the men and women looked to Ruby, silently hoping she’d approve his suggestion of just selecting a few of them.

“You?” She turned to the elder. “As much respect as I have for you, Fang, this mission is no place for a man of your age.”

She turned back to her group. “So glad to see you all volunteer,” she told them, happily ignoring the fact that she’d effectively threatened them into volunteering. “But, obviously, not everyone can be included in this party. Allow me to talk some more with my counsel”—she nudged the dragon with her elbow—“and then we’ll return with our final list of recruits. If any of you have questions, please come speak to me immediately. Dismissed.”

Fang smirked and stood tall as Ruby turned to him following the conclusion of her announcement. “Friend, I am volunteering for this. Age has not slowed me yet. These are my last few good years. Let me teach you the last I can before the end of my time.”

As the dragon talked, Geraldson had approached the two leaders. He looked almost sick as he waited patiently for Ruby’s attention. Though he clearly needed to talk with her, he was not keen on interrupting her himself.

“Fang…” Ruby insisted, “your position is in education, not in the field. I love what you’re doing with my kids here, but… We just can’t lose you out there.” It was clear her hesitancy came, at least in part, from some sort of need to protect the older man. However, she also felt she was finally capable of executing a mission herself without the mentor’s oversight every step of the way.

“Hold on,” she said to Fang before turning to the side. “What do you need, Geraldson?” she asked the anxious fox.

“Ma’am, is it true?” he asked, stepping a bit closer now that she was talking to him. Fang knew almost instantly what was wrong with the poor fox. “Is everyone in Lightkeep really dead or captured? You gotta tell me that the report is wrong, ma’am…” Apart from a little back talk here and there, Geraldson had never acted anything like this around Ruby before. He was almost crying. Fang bowed and gave the two a moment.

Ruby sighed, looking into the young sergeant’s eyes. She could already tell by the way he was acting that he had some sort of strong investment in Lightkeep. Perhaps it was a family member or loved one, but all she could do without prying was guess.

The skunk placed a paw on his shoulder. “We can’t believe every single report we get,” she told the sergeant, appearing sympathetic for one of the first times since he met her. “Our best source of information right now is a single man, who showed up bloody and beaten after a long night of travel. This party’s job now will be to verify his claims. Until we do that… we can’t know for sure what the situation in Lightkeep is.”

“I have… two younger sisters at the church there. I always send most of my money to them, ma’am.” He breathed heavily but seemed a bit better already. “Please, let me come. I don’t think I could function here without knowing for certain. Will you allow this, ma’am? I’m ready to go at your command.” Fang was off to the side watching. He gave Ruby a small nod to show he supported this.

She acted like she was thinking about it for a second. As much as she didn’t want him to get an inflated sense of superiority over the other soldiers, she knew she needed someone familiar with the town for the journey. On top of that, with this new information she’d just acquired, she couldn’t in good conscience leave him behind.

The skunk nodded back at Fang, then turned her attention to the man directly in front of her. “Of course you can come, Geraldson. We’ll find your sisters.”

“I won’t forget this, ma’am.” He did a full kneel to show that he meant it, then rose again. “I’ll make sure I’m packed. You know where to find me when it’s time to go.” He nodded to Fang, then headed inside.

“That was very impressive. It was a good call. The lad means well.” Fang had returned to Ruby’s side and walked with her into the barracks.

“Yeah, I know,” Ruby said, still sulking just a little bit about the role that empathy played in her decision. “Now, getting back to your insistence on coming with us.” She let him speak next.

He laughed and walked alongside her to the general’s office. “Personally, I think I should go. I know the land well, and if I die, it will be a good death. No one else here is old enough to have a good, old death… and you shouldn’t expect us all to make it back.” He poured two strong drinks and handed one to Ruby. “This isn’t a skirmish against the tigers,” he continued. “This is war, Ruby… War is never pretty.”

“It’s not a war yet,” Ruby corrected him. “There’s still a chance that further conflict can be avoided. We don’t know what these sergal… things… even want from us. Perhaps the people of Lightkeep unknowingly did something to provoke the creatures.” She took the drink, a glass of whiskey, and began drinking it.

“…Do you know how many were at Lightkeep? Including children, there were over five hundred souls there, as well as one of the largest farms in the kingdom. The repercussions of this will affect people for… decades.” He rested his hands on the desk and leaned in to be quieter. “I know we need to investigate, but if even most of this is true, there may not be a chance for peace.”

The skunk lady appeared irritated. “You’re already forgetting that some number of them were captured. Perhaps the death toll has been exaggerated, and many of them are still living in imprisonment. Why do you seem almost eager for war, Fang?”

“Because if you do not prepare for the worst, they will crush us! Thirty years ago, I was a proud warrior of the dragon clan. We were proud and thought we knew best—thought we could work out our troubles with diplomacy. We met with the other tribes, and the ambush left the clan fractured. We were lucky the kingdom offered us sanctuary, or we would’ve been slaughtered.” He gulped his drink in a huff. “Look, I’m not saying we shouldn’t make peace—hell, peace is always best—but sometimes the enemy will count on, then exploit, your kindness.”

She sat still for a moment, her eyes closed. When she reopened them, she said, “You know what I think, Fang? I think you’re a warmonger. I think you’re looking for one last battle before your old bones give out.” It was hard to tell if her insensitivity was a result of the strong alcohol already taking effect or just her characteristically unpleasant demeanor. “Now, are we going to discuss who shall be on the team or not?”

He was silent. She knew he was only silent like this when he was genuinely upset. Still, he sat down across from Ruby anyway. “Don’t take anyone so big they would have trouble hiding fast. Maybe the snake? Vip? Who else…” Fang kept his eyes on his glass of whiskey as he spoke.

She nodded at him, glad they were finally back on-topic. “Vip is a good choice. And we already have Geraldson for sure. I was eying Victoria, too—the leopard? Her silence and night vision would be invaluable for reconnaissance.”

“Yes… Plus you, that’s four. That’s a good number. Is that all, then? I can inform them to make sure they have all they’ll need… or was there anything else you wanted to discuss?” he asked flatly, finishing his drink and putting his cup to the side.

“I think that’s all the most pressing matters,” Ruby said. “Do you feel there’s anything else needing to be discussed?” She leaned back in her seat after finishing her glass.

“I don’t think talking will matter. Your opinions are fixed.” He got up and headed off to inform everyone of their tasks, taking the bottle of whiskey with him. She watched as he left her office, the door shutting behind the dragon.

Once down the hall and out of earshot, Fang sighed loudly. “Damn kid… Some thanks for training you since you were a youngin.” He went to the common room and called out, “I need to see Cpl. Victoria and Sgt. Viper, please. Oh, and Geraldson, you come here, too.”

Victoria wasn’t in the common room, but one of her roommates from the women’s sleeping quarters was. She promptly fetched the snow leopard, who got in line beside the fox and snake.

Victoria had been dreading just this happening. Though she assumed at least one leopard would be chosen for the mission because of their excellent vision at night, she had hoped that one of the several other leopards in the company would be selected. She mentally cursed herself for raising her paw when everyone else did. She should have simply faced General Ruby’s wrath, she thought to herself. Surely smelling horrible wasn’t as bad as risking death!

“Ok, good, you’re all here.” The three of them stood side by side. “Look this isn’t going to be pretty, so I’ll be very blunt. We don’t know what dangers there will be, but you three have the advantage of stealth. You’ll be following the general’s orders as usual, so just trust in her and everything should go just fine. Pack light gear, nothing too cumbersome or loud. You will want to be as silent as possible. Any questions?” He looked at each and every one of them, making sure everyone was clear.

Victoria felt there was an obvious question that had yet to be addressed, but hesitated to ask it since the two boys weren’t saying anything. Overcoming the embarrassment, she slowly raised her paw up. “Will you be coming, Master Fang?” The leopard was one of his star pupils. She seemed better than nearly anyone else in the company at making swift movements to catch her adversaries off-guard, a talent on which Fang had commended her multiple times. She’d found herself growing quite interested in the dragon, looking up to him as a guru. At times he even seemed to show more leadership ability than Ruby, though Victoria would of course never express that in the company of either of them.

He gave her a look that was hard to read before shaking his head. “No, it would seem that Ru... I mean, that the general has decided against bringing me.” Vip and Sam Geraldson looked surprised, but nodded slightly in acknowledgement. “You’re free to talk to her if you wish, but I doubt you can change her mind. Since I can’t watch over you all, make sure you look out for each other… I mean it, kids…”

Victoria smiled at Fang before giving him a nod, reassuring her mentor that she’d do her best to be safe and look out for the safety of her comrades.

“When are we heading out?” Vip asked, not bothering to raise his hand first.

“You’ll be leaving before dawn, so make sure you get an early night’s rest, you hear? I’ll make sure that the general does the same, even if I have to put her to bed myself.” There was a relaxed chuckle and he nodded. “Oh, and that reminds me: Please stop by my quarters any time this evening. Just make sure you see me before heading to bed. Alright, youngsters, dismissed.”

Sam and Vip started to leave together and Victoria caught up with them. She wasn’t close friends with either of them by any means, but in a group of just thirty people, they’d come to know each other, and she assumed they were about to get much closer. “How much do you wanna bet the general still wakes up with a hangover tomorrow morning?” she said, joking with the two men.

They smiled, Vip glancing around. “Don’t joke too much! You know how bad that spray is? I had to literally taste it for a week. Damn smelling with tongues…” Still, he and Geraldson lightened up a bit.

Sam spoke up. “Do you think it’s smart not to bring Fang with us?”

“Of course I don’t think it’s smart,” Victoria lowered her voice as they passed by the general’s office. “When’s the last time we received actual combat training from Ruby? Either she’s too much of a drunk to help us, or she’s actually forgotten everything she knows about combat—except spraying, that is.” She shivered. She was one of the very few lucky recruits not to be sprayed upon admittance to Ruby’s group, and since then had only had a couple close calls with her anger. Still, she knew how bad it was from smelling it on others. She understood that pissing Ruby off should be avoided if at all possible.

Sam talked low, “I’ve seen her fight. It’s… brutal—what I imagine Fang is like if he ever lost his temper. I mean, I watched her beat the shit out of Collins, and she’s a freaking cow!” He and Vip snickered at that.

Vip said, “Yeah, she can fight… but now that you mention it, she really only uses fear to keep us in line. Meanwhile, Fang actually tries to guide us… I wish I knew why.”

“Woah, wait, when the hell did she and Collins fight?” the leopard asked, quite interested in hearing more. “I’m telling you, it should be Fang in charge, not—”

As they rounded a corner in the hallway, the brutal general herself was already there. Though her office door was closed when they’d passed by it, the trio was wrong in assuming that meant the skunk must be inside. It appeared she was now on her way back from the latrine when she’d heard them coming and decided to listen to their conversation from around the corner.

“Talking about someone?” Ruby asked, taking a step toward them. They’d all frozen in place the second they saw their leader there, but this step closer from Ruby prompted them all to take one big step back.

Vip and Sam looked to each other then to Victoria. Finally, Sam spoke, stepping forward to try and take the brunt of it. “Ma’am, we were talking about you. And how Fang isn’t coming along. And how you beat up captain Collins… Sorry ma’am.”

Vip looked ready to run, but Sam was staying calm. He had bigger concerns back home at the moment.

“I heard what you were talking about,” she said. “It was a rhetorical question.” Ruby shoved Sam aside and walked right through the group. “You’re lucky we’re heading into hostile territory tomorrow. Coating you all in musk, as I’d like to do right now, would only give away our location to the sergals.”

“Yes ma’am, thank you ma’am.” It was a sentence Sam had rehearsed. Still, he wished she’d answer his question about her, Fang, and the responsibility of teaching the soldiers.

She spun around to face them again after walking past the three. “However, I’d love to listen to your story about my fight with Captain Collins. After all, I don’t quite remember it myself.”

Her sudden movement made the boys jump. Sam gulped and took a moment to think. “Um, well, you were drinking… a lot. And she came up to you. She looked sad herself, or just drunk. I couldn’t hear what you said, but it made her snap. She threw a punch, but then you bashed her lip in with your mug. I missed a bit as you both tumbled around. I think that’s when she hit you, ’cause I heard you yell. Then you started hitting her face. I’m not sure how many times, as I lost count after twenty. You let her have your spray, and then went to the bar across the street, ma’am…”

Ruby couldn’t help but laugh some at this retelling of a legendary bar fight. She just wished her brain had been recording at the time, because she’d love to have seen it herself. “Oh, so she was the aggressor? Thank gods.” The skunk had been afraid since learning of the fight that she’d have someone come talk to her soon about using her spray for offensive—rather than defensive or disciplinary—reasons. “Did no one try to break up the fight?”

“You started it by saying what you did, but she swung first. Me and Thomas and a few other guards kept other people away. You were lashing out at everyone that was around, so it seemed best not to try to pull you away. Collins seemed to be knocked out after you sprayed her. I spent a good hour healing her afterwards. We kept things from escalating, I think.”

“Hmm.” She nodded. “Well, thank you, Sergeant Geraldson. I would hate to wake up and learn that I hurt or sprayed someone who didn’t deserve it. Did you heal her using the same magic spell you used on me this morning?”

Victoria felt as if she could faint. This was by far the longest she’d ever been around the skunk while she was in a bad mood. Moreover, given that the conversation was about an event that the leopard hadn’t been witness to, she couldn’t chime in or attempt to defuse the tension in her own way. All the snow leopard could do was stand there and hope Sam wouldn’t anger the general.

“I healed her similarly, but over the course of an hour,” Sam said. He hated how she referred to it as magic, but kept that to himself for now. “Last I heard, she’s still recovering in the chapel.”

Vip moved a bit closer to Victoria, looking skittish himself. He seemed not to like tension, as his tail was spinning in circles. He looked to Victoria as if she could help.

“Oh, ok… Wait. To heal me you had to put your hands on my face for a moment. Are you telling me that you touched Collins’s face, even after I did what I did to it?”

Victoria glanced over at Vip as well. “I don’t know!” she said in the tiniest whisper to the snake.

Sam tilted his head and looked a bit confused. “Yeah, of course I did. She needed help. She couldn’t even move, so, yeah, I had to touch and heal her.”

“Hope ya washed your hands after,” she chuckled for a moment. Ruby then made a ‘come here’ motion with her pointer finger at Sam. “Step into my office for a moment, will you?” Once again she disguised her orders as polite questions, though all those ranked below her understood what she meant. “The other two of you, go get ready to leave bright and early.” The skunk walked into her office.

“Best of luck, Geraldson,” Victoria whispered to the fox before speed walking in the opposite direction, beyond eager to get out of there.

Vip gulped and gave Sam a worried shrug before following Victoria away. Sam just sighed and followed Ruby. Once in the office, he walked up to her desk. “Yes ma’am?”

“Sit down,” she told him, opening a drawer of her desk that Geraldson was unable to see into due to the angle. “So you can harness magic thanks to your experience in the church, but you’ve never had any formal training in it, have you?” She again used the wrong name for his supernatural abilities.

“All due respect, I can’t harness magic. I can’t even cast a beginner spell. I get healing from the gods, that’s all.” He seemed almost offended, but when he spoke he was calm and tried to explain carefully. “What are we doing?”

“Ah, right, this gods stuff,” she said. Slowly, Ruby would pull a very old-looking book from a cabinet drawer and set it down on the desktop. It was at least a couple inches thick.

“This is a book about magic—and that gods-channeling stuff too. It was a gift from a family member of mine, though I never had the patience to learn any of it. I can’t even bother to learn the difference between gods and magic. Anyway, this will provide a basic introduction to all of that, and a little more.” She slid it across the desk to Sgt. Geraldson.

“I think your healing abilities can be massively beneficial on this mission, especially if you can learn to perform more healing in less time. Will you take a look through this book for me tonight?”

“I…” He nodded as he sat across from her, still a bit confused. “Of course, if that’s what you want. I do want to get better at this, especially if I can help people who are close to death.” He opened the book and flipped through a few pages before looking up at Ruby. “Hey, um… Sorry if we upset you, ma’am.”

“Don’t…” she held up an open palm to him. “Don’t try to get all remorseful on me. Like I said, I would’ve sprayed you all by now if I reasonably could. You just got lucky, that’s all. I’m not just showing mercy to you three out of the kindness of my heart.”

She adjusted how she was sitting in her chair. “Now, one last matter of business. When you healed me back in the bathhouse, do I remember seeing you… in pain, or something, after doing it?”

He closed the book gently. “When any sort of spell user or cleric uses their power, it drains them. Doing what I did to you was like running a mile as fast as I can.” He smiled a bit, some amount of sleepiness behind his eyes. “But I don’t mind at all, ma’am.”

“I see… So if the power is indeed coming from the gods, how come it drains you of your energy? Why wouldn’t it draw on the energy of the gods?”

“The energy of the gods is infinite, but the strength I have to channel it is… well, limited. Much like how when you first swing a sword, after your first few strikes your body begins to tire. But now you can fight for hours and easily work through it. I don’t use it that often, just when the need arises. If I told everyone I can cure a hangover then people would never leave me alone.”

“Oh, you can now?” she flashed him a grin, then stood up. “Right, I think I’ve held you here long enough. Go make the necessary preparations for your trip. We leave at 4 a.m. tomorrow morning, so head to sleep extra early. If any of your bunkmates are acting too rowdy for you to fall asleep, come find me; they’ll be disciplined.”

He didn’t move. His body was yelling at him to thank her and get out of this office, but his brain fought to meet her gaze and speak. “Ma’am, I have no question of your skill, but may I ask why it is not you out there showing us how to improve? Why do you just rely upon the threat spraying or worse? I trust you completely, I just don’t feel satisfied not knowing…”

She wrinkled her nose at him some. “I still teach you all,” she defended herself. “I just haven’t been holding lessons as often as I used to and letting Fang handle more of them.” She pointed to the door. “Now quit asking stupid questions and get to sleep before I start seriously considering replacing you with someone like Pvt. Thomas. Do I make myself clear?”

“Right… stupid questions.” He stood and took the book with him before moving over to the door, opening it and walking out. “Till the morning, ma’am. I’ll be around if you need me.”

She didn’t bother saying anything in return, instead she just stood up and slammed the door shut after him.

———

After both visiting Master Fang’s quarters, the other two headed to the common room to get ready for their mission. Viper was slithering beside Victoria, happy to get away. “Damn… Poor Sam. Poor guy can’t get away from her. Not that he wants to exactly, if you know what I mean.” He gave the cat a wink and nudge.

She gave him a surprised look. “What? Sam and… her?!” The very idea of anyone loving that vile woman was inconceivable to the young woman. “What in the world could make you think that?”

He flicked his tongue out and smiled. “I can taste hormones and such, and Sam’s always jump when she’s around. Also, and this is more my opinion, but Sam does seem to bring out a small bit of kindness from her rough attitude.” He shrugged and grabbed the supplies he needed from the small adjacent supply room.

“That’s crazy…” the leopard muttered to herself. “I’m sorry, I haven’t been here as long as you or Sam. Has Ruby ever sprayed him? I feel that would be a pretty definite test for any soft spot she may harbor.”

“Oh yeah, once, and he didn’t like it… Poor kid has what we call a ‘savior complex’. He’s a great guy, he just wants to save everyone. Poor guy needs him a mate to keep him grounded.” He nudged her with a chuckle. “Hey, you’ve been getting along here great. We haven’t talked much, but you’re great in the sparring pit. Fang really has an eye for you!”

She smiled, brushing a lock of hair that’d straggled free from her bun back behind her ear. “Oh, thank you,” she said with a blush, still packing her bag. “I love practicing with Fang. Being in his presence, it feels like you’re training with a master of his craft.”

“Mhm. Do you like it, or do you  _ like _ it?” he asked, genuinely curious as he grabbed string for a bow and a quiver to store in his pack. Aside from Viper and Victoria, the room was empty, so he felt it was ok to ask such a private question. “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry, but your scent just changed a bit.”

The leopard immediately switched from honored to flustered. “H-huh? Fang?! He’s, like, a hundred years old, isn’t he?!”

“I believe he’s 120? But he’s also a dragon so… That’s like his later forties if he were a leopard or something like that. And, hey, I’m not judging at all! I mean, I respect him like crazy, but he’s also got that vibe of slow, sensual energy…” He looked like he was having a bit of a daydream himself before laughing.

“Oh, don’t be so gross!” she laughed, denying her feelings by throwing a chunk of dry, cracker-like food—the primary food on missions like this—at the snake. “I’m not interested in him. He’s way too old for me, and that’s not even mentioning how unprofessional a relationship like that would be. Your sniffing tongue must be miscalibrated from the last time you got skunked or something.”

“Mhm, sure, my nose is wrong… Oh, hey there Master Fang!” He stood up and saluted, looking right behind Victoria and directing his gaze high over her head to convince her that he was standing right there.

The snow leopard immediately stood up and spun around to where she expected him to be. As her mind raced with all she’d have to say to reassure the dragon she meant no offense with her words about how gross his age was, she was greeted with the sight of no one at all behind her.

Vip smirked and tossed the food back at her, happily chuckling. “You know, the higher-ups have actually taken much less issue with military relationships as of late, since a few of the captains have come forward with their relations with those above them. Just food for thought, hehe.” He sat down again to double-check his things.

Just as Viper was trying to sit back down, he found himself blindsided by an attack on the chair beneath him. With one swift kick, Victoria had cleanly knocked his seat out from under the snake, sending the unsuspecting soldier flat onto his back with a hard  _ thunk _ .

Viper hissed, wrapping his tail around one of the leopard’s legs. He pulled hard on it, yanking her down as well. With her now on the floor, he booped her on the nose with the tip of his tail. “Damn, you really got trained well! Are you that mad at me though?!”

Claws extended, Victoria hissed at him from her newfound sitting position on the floor before standing and dusting herself off. “Listen, if you ever  _ fuc _ —” She cut herself off as she turned to see that Sam had just walked into the common room only to find the beginnings of a fight.

Vip looked genuinely surprised at first, but as his eyes were drawn to her paws by the light’s glint off her claws, he felt the need to defend himself if this was truly the way things were going. He flared out his hood, the distinctive warning that a cobra was about to strike, before he noticed Geraldson as well.

Sam stepped into the room holding his new book, but his attention was no longer on the ancient tome. He stared at the scene and gestured to the door. “You both know this door locks, right?” He smiled, treating the situation like a joke before he noticed how severe the situation seemed to be. “Victoria, did Vip do something to you?! Why are your claws out like that?”

She immediately retracted her blade-like nails. “It’s nothing,” she said dismissively, returning her chair to its normal position. “Viper was being a dick, but we were just playing.” She sat back down in front of her bag and began trying to change the conversation. “What’s that storybook you got there?” she asked.

“I, um… I think it’s a gift from Ruby. It’s going to help me with my divine prayers. I still have to read it, so I was just going to quickly assemble my travel kit and grab my sword so I can head to the bunks. You sure you’re ok? Viper only unfolds his hood like that when he’s about to fight…” The fox walked in and patted the snake’s head before grabbing his armor and sword. He kept glancing at Victoria as he did so. Viper was back to packing again, his hood folded back as a sign of being sorry.

“Yeah, I’m sure he’s fine. Like I said, just play-fighting,” she lied again. As the fox was busy packing his own things, Victoria mouthed to Vip, “A gift?” with an incredulous look on her face. For the first time, she was starting to truly believe that Ruby and Sam may genuinely be harboring feelings for one another.

Vip gave a surprised shrug, whispering “I thought he was going to get beat.”

Sam came over and showed the book to them. “She said it was from her family, but I was still surprised.” He opened the book and started to read it. “This is… very, very rare…”

Though Victoria was fully able to read and write, she felt like an illiterate as she looked over the words on the book’s pages. Similar to how different dialects make it hard for speakers of the same language to understand one another, this tome did not make its knowledge accessible to the casual reader. The letters were all wrong, and yet still recognizable after the eyes had passed over them multiple times. Sentences seemed to blend together before her as if they were alive.

“What… is this?” she finally asked.

“Oh, sorry. It’s written in the old tongue. The words move on their own and can be hard to read. The priest in Lightkeep taught me it while I was still living there. Some are more gifted with reading it than others.” Sam smiled and turned the book back toward himself. His tail wagged as he started to look into it more.

Vip shrugged a bit and munched on crackers, looking at Victoria and offering her a snack as a truce.

Sam stood and smiled “I’m seeing Fang then heading to my bunk. If you need anything, you know where to find me, alright? See you early in the morning!”

Victoria could only muster a small wave as her mind was elsewhere, still trying to figure out how the words could move all on their own. Was it some sort of optical illusion, or did the text actually have some magic imbued in the very fibers of the paper?

After finally convincing herself to snap out of her amazement, she turned to the snake in the seat beside her, completely missing his offer for food. “Never use your horny-sensing powers on me ever again. Got it?”

“I’m sorry! I just… I was curious.” He held up his hands and looked down. “But ok, ok. I won’t try to trick you again like that, ok? Promise!”

“Good,” she said. Now that her bag was finally ready to go in the morning, she stood up and carried it with her to the female bunks. “I’m off to sleep now,” she announced, her back turned to Viper. “Night, Vip,” she said over her shoulder.

“Aww… Night, Victoria!”

She stopped for a second just as she was about to turn down the hall. “Oh, you can call me Tori, by the way. That’s a bit less of a mouthful.” She then retired to her sleeping quarters.

After acknowledging this new name, Vip finished getting ready, rose from his seat, got his stuff, and headed to his bunk. It was close to Sam’s, but he didn’t disturb the fox as he read. Letting him have his space, the cobra curled up in his bed before falling asleep quickly.

Sam stayed up the latest of the three picked for the mission. He read his new book for another hour before finally passing out with his gift on his chest.


	3. The Road to Lightkeep

Fang didn’t sleep that night. Instead, he sat outside all night in a small patch of grass with a small candle and incense—a strong-smelling one that calmed him deeply. He opened his eyes just before dawn, stood, and stretched, breathing out the incense and sighing. “Great Dragon, he who flies high and watches over the land… Guide them to their destination in speed and safety… May they be swift like your endless soar…” He finished his prayer and went around waking people up. First he visited Sam and Vip, waking them with a gentle shake before he headed to Ruby. He knocked softly before letting himself in. “It is time to rise, youngin.”

“Mmm,” Ruby whined as she rolled over in bed. Despite having received the orders herself, she protested, “Do we really have to go so early?”

“Yes. It’s best to go now so you can be sure to get there before nightfall. Hopefully you will have ample time to scout and find shelter as well.” He looked around and began getting her outfit for the day ready. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, fine…” she muttered, sitting up in bed. “Would’ve been a lot nicer if only I’d had more alcohol before bedtime.”

“You have a problem with drinking, Ruby. You need to control it before it controls you. There’s no drinking on missions. That’s always been our rule.” He wasn’t sad, rather disappointed by her attitude. However, this wasn’t something he could push right now, as there was too much else going on.

“Suck my skunk ass, why don’t you?” she growled at the older man before standing up out of bed. If there was one thing Ruby had less patience for than disobedient subordinates, it was being constructively and calmly informed of her flaws as a person.

“Watch your damn mouth when you speak to me, Ruby! I’m not some subordinate you can strike fear into by lifting your tail! The only reason I’m not in charge officially is ’cause I told the admirals that I wanted to assist you in training.” He was fed up with her attitude as of late, and he was done being calm and patient about it. The dragon dropped the outfit he’d been assembling for her on the floor. “Get your shit ready and get out to the front gate. The horses are ready and waiting.” Fang walked out of Ruby’s sleeping quarters, slamming the door behind him before heading to wake Victoria in the women’s dormitory. Ruby was left alone to stew in her anger as she got dressed.

As Fang entered the female sleeping quarters, it was difficult to immediately tell which of the dormant figures was Victoria. Out of respect for their privacy, he almost never visited the female sleeping area, so he had no clue in which bed the corporal slept. The five girls of the company were divided among three sets of double bunks, leaving one of the beds vacant.

However, as Fang applied just a little bit of deductive reasoning, it became quite obvious which bed belonged to Victoria: the one with a long, fluffy, gray tail dotted with rings of darker fur dangling off of it. It would seem her bed simply wasn’t large enough to contain the entirety of the tail.

He chuckled. He walked over and knelt at her side before softly waking her with a gentle nudge. He didn’t like picking favorites for any of his trainees, but Victoria was his star pupil. “Hey… it’s time.” He spoke softly so only she would hear. “Everyone else is up, so you’ll need to get ready quickly. The horses are out front and your equipment is loaded.”

She inhaled deeply as she woke up, then gave a nod into her pillow. “Mhm…” Slowly getting up into a kneeling position—she’d been sleeping on her belly—she told the dragon, “I’m up,” despite the fact that her eyes were closed.

Fang softly patted her head and stood. He didn’t want to linger in the room and risk waking the other girls. “I’ll be waiting out front.” 

Outside, Sam and Vip were already dressed and working with their mounts, getting the saddles on and such. Vip seemed excited. “I’m ready for my first real mission… I’ll prove I can do more than guard duty, Sam.” 

“I just hope that Lightkeep is still there…” Sam sighed, holding his book to his chest.

Ruby emerged out front, picking up on the tail end of the conversation between Sam and Vip. “Patrol is a real mission,” she reminded the snake, referring to their previous missions ensuring the security of the kingdom's borders. Every single one of these missions ended without a hint of conflict, of course, aside from one in which a private by the name of Adam fell off his horse and broke his arm. Ironically enough, Adam was a horse himself.

Vip gulped but nodded fast. “Y-yes ma’am, of course. It’s important but this is… Well, you know this is so different. I won’t let you down.”

Sam waved to his general and smiled. “Morning! Your gift was very helpful. I think I’ve already learned some new things that will help us.”

Fang walked out and checked everything, making sure their supplies were secured correctly.

Ruby gave Geraldson a bit of a funny look. “How’d you learn so much before the sun went down and you lost the light?” she asked Geraldson.

“I am a fast reader, but also!” He snapped his finger and on the claw tip of his pointer finger was a small flame. It wasn’t a very high-level spell, but to learn it in a few hours was very impressive.

“Wo—oah…” Ruby marveled at it, jaw agape, for a long while. It had been quite some time since she had seen a genuine display of impressive magic. The sight reinvigorated her own interest in the art. “Glad to have you on the team,” the general said with a pat on Sam’s shoulder as she walked past him to her own horse.

Tori left the barracks around this time with a supply bag in her hand.

Before long, they were all on their horses and ready to go. A few soldiers came out to bid them farewell. Fang checked their equipment. “Ready to ride Ruby? Everyone seems to be mounted and ready.”

She gave the dragon a nod. “I believe we are all ready.” She looked to her selected party, seeking confirmation from each individual of the group, starting with Victoria.

The snow leopard nodded, “Yes, General.”

Vip gave a nod. “Yes, General. All ready here!”

Sam extinguished the fire he’d been playing with in his hand and nodded. “All good here! Let’s get going!”

Ruby turned to her dragon mentor and, despite her rudeness earlier that same morning, gave him a smile. “Be seeing you, old man. Take good care of the kids,” she said, playfully using her nickname for him before kicking her heel into the saddle, compelling her horse forward.

Fang smiled a bit at that and saluted as they all rode off toward the east. Soon the city walls were behind them, and they now had paved roads to ride on. The sun was out by now, shining brightly as they headed out. Before long, they could see several wagon caravans of civilians making their way to the safety of the city walls.

Ruby, leader of the other three, slowed her horse to a gait as the wagons drew nearer. Keeping the horses going at full gallop in the midst of other vehicles risked a collision and, at the very least, made the Kas Ragnoc military seen like a bunch of pompous soldiers, riding past the civilians at reckless speeds.

“Are these all… refugees?” Victoria asked Sam as they rode. The four of them were positioned in something of a diamond shape: Ruby at the front center, Sam to the left, Vip to the right, and Victoria in the rear center back.

Viper waved down one of the guards traveling with the group of wagons. The black wolf saluted in greeting to them all as the snake spoke. “Where are you all from?”

“We are from one of the outskirts settlements, one small enough that it was overlooked by the invaders. We have been traveling on and off for two days now and have been directed to head here. Be safe on the road. The sergals aren’t the only dangers out there. I’ve caught far-off glimpses of some tribes closing in on the borders.” He sighed, appearing tired as he looked out over his caravan. “I’m just glad we finally made it to the city.”

Ruby turned her horse around and rode it a short distance closer to the conversation at hand. She was disappointed to hear that other, generally neutral tribes had been acting up. Their journey through tribal border territory would be safer if only they knew which tribes were causing the issues.

“What tribes are these?” Ruby asked from atop her horse.

“I spotted a few bears, and possibly a group of feral wolves, ma’am—or werewolves. It was hard to tell as they kept their distance.”

“Oh damn… Sergals must have those groups panicking, too,” Sam said as he looked at Ruby, awaiting her command.

“It seems that way…” she said to the sergeant before turning her attention back to the escort guard. “You there. You are headed to Kas Ragnoc, yes?”

“Yes, ma’am. We received word last night by a rider. He said for us to get to the kingdom’s capital as soon as possible. We have about 200 people here heading from the settlement.”

“Very well. Wait a moment.” Ruby reached into her horse’s saddlebags and withdrew a piece of parchment and a quill. “You shall carry a message for me,” she told the guard as she began writing something down. The letter was to contain details of the restless tribes and ferals, and a recommendation that the kingdom’s military to ensure peace be made with them before the situation got out of hand.

Ruby brushed the note through her tail before handing it off to the guard. There was no residue left on the paper, yet the simple contact with her tail had imparted a very, very slight yet distinct scent on it.

He waited patiently and then took the note once Ruby was finished with it. “Anything else I can do for you, General?”

“Take it straight to the Palace and tell them General Ruby Reynolds sent you. My handwriting isn’t very consistent, but tell them they can sniff the page if they are doubtful of its authenticity. Understood?”

“Uh, yes ma’am, of course. It will be done.” He nodded to them all before he rode away, leaving behind Ruby’s party as the caravan moved past. The three again formed up behind Ruby and waited for her to lead. Viper chose to stay closer to Victoria as they resumed their ride.

As they continued on, Victoria started to grow wary of the snake’s proximity to her. “Uh, Vip?” she said not in a low voice, but still in one that would be hard for anyone not so close to her to hear. “It seems you’re drifting closer to me.”

Vip held out a small leather pouch to her. Inside were dried fruits and meats that leopards would like. “Here, Tori, I made some food for us all. Trying to do some group bonding, you know?” He smiled and held it out to Victoria.

“Aww, you didn’t have to do that,” she said to Viper with a smile, taking the bag. She picked out a few pieces of meat before trying to get Sam’s attention to share it with him. “Sam.”

Sam’s head was buried in his book, but he looked up and smiled as he reached into the bag and grabbed a few raisins and munched happily. Vip seemed happy that both of them liked their snacks.

After Sam had his fill, Victoria took the bag back from him and handed the pouch over to the cobra. “Thanks, Vip.”

“No problem. I just wanted to do something nice for everyone.” He was happy and relaxed. Sam, however, seemed very focused on the book, muttering softly to himself. His ear was twitching softly in a cute, focused way. The muttering was getting to be more and more like a chant.

Tori said, “Hey, should you offer some food to Ruby?” As they were riding on she kept an eye out for Sam, whose reading and riding made her fear he could run into someone.

Vip looked over at Victoria with a look of ‘why would you suggest that?’, but then moved closer to Ruby. He held out the open bag to Ruby and asked carefully, “Hey, ma’am, would you like a snack? We didn’t get to have breakfast before we left.”

“Sure,” the leader said, taking the bag from him and starting to eat out of it. She took a mix of dried fruits as well as jerky.

He decided to see if she was in a good mood. “Did you sleep well, General? You seemed to be doing well this morning.”

“I’m still kind of waking up,” Ruby answered, looking forward at the road ahead as she ate. “I could use a coffee. I wonder if there will be any small towns along the way that have a coffee shop.”

“I mean, we could detour, but…” He glanced back at Sam. “Might not be the best to delay. We need to figure out what’s happening at Lightkeep sooner rather than later.”

“No, no, that’s alright…” she sighed, tying the bag shut again. “Just wait another hour or two and I’ll be awake.” She yawned before handing the pouch back to Viper without so much as a ‘thank you’. “Not like sittin’ on a horse requires a lot of attention anyway.”

“No, no it doesn’t.” He got comfortable. They all rode for several hours. The sun climbed high into the sky, heat climbing as well but never quite getting unbearable. Vip especially loved the heat. He wore nearly nothing as his scales soaked up the warmth.

As the sun’s intensity increased to a point which she couldn’t quite enjoy anymore, Victoria reached into her bags. She was not built for hot climates and she couldn’t sweat, so her only method of relieving heat was through panting. Not wanting to look like some sort of feral in front of this party of people she didn’t know too well, the snow leopard withdrew a wide sun hat and put it on her head. The brim of it was wide enough to keep even her shoulders in its shade.

As Victoria looked over at Sam, he seemed to be handling the heat quite well, not panting or anything. In fact, as she kept watching him, he looked at her and exhaled a visible, cold breath. He smirked. “This book… is amazing!”

Ruby looked over her shoulder as Geraldson spoke. She was glad he at least had something to take his mind off the possibly devastating news that was awaiting him in Lightkeep. “Ever thought about graduating from gods-channeling and into genuine magic?” she asked him.

“Full-on magic can make people a bit power crazy. If I get too deep into this, I trust that you will keep me level-headed.” He waved his hand and casted something. After a minute or so, a small cloud formed over the group, giving them shade. “This is very addicting, I must admit.”

She looked over her other shoulder toward Victoria and Vip. “Should I be concerned?” she asked the other two. “Should I take that book away from him?”

Vip shrugged. “I’m not worried, General. Sam’s fine. I trust him to know his limit as long as you don’t push him.”

“Fair enough,” the skunk said before looking forward again, starting to lean more and more on the back of her horse’s neck as she got tired of sitting upright.

“Were you friends with Sam before, y’know, yesterday?” Victoria asked the snake, Sam already back to focusing heavily on his new tome.

“Yeah, I’ve known him for about four years. I met him on the road when he left Lightkeep, actually. I was a drifter and he was kind—too nice to steal from. So we became friends.” He said with a smile, glancing at Sam. She picked up that deep down he may have feelings for the fox.

Victoria looked over at Sam at the same time Vip did. He appeared too engrossed in his book to even notice that they were talking about him, despite the fact that they were making no effort to whisper.

“Four years, huh? Well, how’d the two of you end up interested in joining the Kas Ragnoc military?”

“Oh, I robbed a little stand for food, and when I got caught Sam pleaded to the right people to get me into the infantry. He was already applying as it was good money for him.” He didn’t seem to have any shame about his past. “Fang happened to be there, and he managed to snag us for this division. Much better than prison guards or gatekeepers, if you ask me, ma’am.”

Tori chuckled at that very last word. “Please… don’t call me ‘ma’am’. I imagine you two didn’t get a choice of which company you were drafted into either?”

“Oh, we didn’t… Tori. We would have had some real shit jobs I’m sure, but Fang saw something in us that he felt would've gotten wasted elsewhere, so here we are.”

The leopard nodded. She wanted to ask more—for example, what he thought when he entered the barracks and learned Ruby was to be his leader—but held off on it due to the fact that the skunk herself was within earshot. She’d already been pushing her luck when she asked if Vip got to choose his group. Though Ruby said that she wouldn't be spraying any of them so as to maintain scent camouflage, Victoria knew from watching the way she treated other soldiers that the general could hold a grudge. It was still up in the air whether the girl could still get blasted immediately upon returning to the barracks after the mission… presuming she made it back alive at all.

“What’ve you heard about the sergals?” she asked the cobra. “I mean, beside what the general shared with us all.”

“Not much, but I hope the rumors are exaggerated. I hear they are six to seven feet tall, strong as bears and fast as wolves. I’ve heard they have weapons that are stronger and lighter than ours, too. All I know for sure is that we’re going to have to be careful. If we are careful, I hope we can get all the information we need without actually meeting any one-on-one.” Viper sighed softly. He hadn’t ever been in a real fight to the death before. He figured that the only one who might have before is Ruby, but that was scary to think about. He imagined her laughing in the face of her adversary as she fought.

“Mhm,” she nodded in response to his wish not to encounter one of the beasts up close. “How have there been so many of them—thousands, if the scout’s estimation is to be believed—and this is the first time we’ve heard of them? You don’t reach those kinds of population numbers as a tribe. They must have a kingdom, or some other civilization, somewhere far, far from here.”

“Definitely. This isn’t a tribe like the bears. This is a kingdom equal to or greater than ours—well, according to rumor. General is right about that… We can’t take one scout’s word. We need to see for ourselves.”

“That’s right…” Tori faced forward again. “This mission is important,” she said in a quieter tone as if just talking to herself, reassuring herself that this risk to her safety must be taken.

Sam looked up from his book and looked over to Vip. “Hey, do you have a cinnamon stick?”

Viper chuckled and opened his bag before tossing him a long stick of sweet cinnamon with a smile. “’Course, buddy.” He looked to Victoria. “It’s something sweet you can chew on, and it’s better than tobacco. Want some?” He offered it to the ladies. 

Sam licked at and chewed away on it, putting the book away as it had given him a major headache.

“What the hell?” came Ruby’s voice from ahead, her question seeming more rhetorical than anything else.

“Are those the things I always see in the mouths of guys around the barracks?” Victoria asked.

Vip said, “Well, yeah… We kinda got some of the guys at camp into it. It’s more of a snake thing, but turns out lotsa canines love it, too. We even got Fang to try it instead of his pipe. He said it was a bit sweet for his liking, but it didn’t stop him from finishing it.” The happy memory made him laugh and took his mind off the situation at hand.

“Heh, sounds like Fang,” she said. “Sure! I’ll try it.” Victoria held out her paw for one of the sticks.

Viper handed one over and took one himself before offering it to Ruby. “General? Care for one? Might help you feel a little better.”

“No,” Ruby said flatly, not even looking back at Viper.

Tori hesitantly put it in her mouth, eventually biting down on it with her canines. “Like this?”

Sam turned his head, the end sticking out of his mouth and his tongue licking the side that was inside his maw. “Kinda! Don’t chew it, just lick it. It's really sweet. The baker who makes them adds a bit of sugar and such, so they are more of a dessert than anything. But they last _forever_!”

Victoria did as Sam instructed. “…Huh. This is kinda good!”

“See? We told ya!” Sam kicked up his horse to trot alongside Ruby and offered her half of one. “Hey, you sure you don't want one? Helps keep your mind off the ride…”

“Get off my back,” Ruby warned the young man, actually turning her head to speak to him this time.

“I wasn’t… I was just seeing if you wanted a small one,” he muttered as he let his horse drift back. He looked defeated. 

Vip sighed at his friend. He needed to not take it personally that she was grumpy.

———

The rest of the ride was rather simple and uneventful. After several hours, nightfall was upon the crew. They were only about an hour away from Lightkeep when they found a small, wooden cabin just off the main road. Strangely, it was abandoned. No hunters were stationed inside, but the supplies were there.

Sam gestured to the area. “Shall we set up here General? This is a good spot for us to leave the horses and get some rest.” He sniffed a bit and looked around. “Seems safe to me…”

Ruby led her horse over to the cabin. She couldn’t hear or smell anyone inside and it appeared neither could anyone on her team. “Wait here,” she nonetheless instructed everyone else as she halted her horse and dismounted.

The skunk walked up to the door and tried to push it open, but it didn’t budge. She tried a bit harder. Still nothing. Finally, she kicked the doorknob as hard as she could. The flimsy wood of the doorframe gave way almost instantly, and the door swung open. She stepped inside for a moment to see what it contained.

“Holy shit,” Victoria whispered to the other two after her general was inside and out of earshot. “Is that legal?”

Now that Ruby was inside, she saw that the windows had been broken, and there were signs of a struggle, but no blood and no bodies.

Sam walked in and gulped. “Oh… damn. The sergals must have scouted out and found this place…”

“Sam,” Ruby said, “use your light magic thing for me.” She was pretty sure that the place was devoid of people or their remains, but she wanted visual confirmation.

He lifted his hand and the fire filled his paw, giving the room a good light source as he lit a candle he'd brought in from his horse. The other two came in looking at the scene. Viper studied the room, moving along the edges. “There were two foxes here… I’m guessing they were rangers… multiple people burst through the windows and pulled them out. It must’ve been fast enough that they couldn’t fight back.”

“Gods dammit, did I not say to stay outside?” she hissed at the two she hadn't relied on to illuminate the room. She was starting to get convinced that the promise of not being disciplined had removed any incentive for the troops to follow her orders.

Victoria and Vip looked at her and then back down. “Sorry ma’am,” Vip said for both of them. “I misunderstood.”

“What are your orders, General?” Sam asked.

The cabin was silent, save for the slight creaking as the wind blew through the torn windows and door.

Ruby sighed. “Are our horses tied up? Including mine?”

Victoria gave a nod. “I took care of yours ma’am.”

“Thanks.” She looked around the room. “This seems as good a place as any. Unload our horses’ saddlebags and bring all our packs in here so that the horses rest. Once that’s done, get yourselves prepared for a recon mission that may take all night.” Ruby said this in spite of the fact that they’d all been awake for well over 16 hours now.

Viper was by far the most alert, as he didn’t need much sleep. He started bringing in supplies as Sam and Tori started to reinforce the windows and clean up. They had everything unloaded and cleaned up within ten minutes. They then looked to Ruby ready for their next orders. “We are ready to go, ma’am,” Sam spoke up, standing to attention for her and demonstrating that he was trained.

“Very well.” Ruby stood up from where she’d just been squatting after preparing a very light sack of only the necessary supplies for this mission: gauze, a quill and parchment, a knife, and some chicken jerky she’d taken from Vip’s bag. “You all have your weapons as well?”

Victoria nodded, pulling on the hilt of her longsword to present the first couple inches of a blade that remained in a sheath at her hip.

Viper kept his bow on his back and nodded. Sam’s gear was similar to Victoria’s. He made sure the sword was secured, but left his book in the cabin so it wouldn’t get lost and damaged. Each of them also had a bag with many of the same items as Ruby had just in case they’d need them. Fang had taught them all that these were the essential items for a recon mission.

Sam was eager to get going. “All armed and ready for a mission, ma’am.”

“Alright,” the general said, “let’s head out.” She walked back out the door she’d kicked in just minutes ago and led the party in the direction of Lightkeep, this time on the side of the road instead of on it.


	4. Sergals’ True Strength

As they’d travelled further and further away from Kas Ragnoc, the landscape gradually transformed from wide, open plains into sparse woods. Those sparse woods eventually gave way to thick forest, which they found themselves entering the thickest of now.

Lightkeep was simply intended to serve as a port town; there wasn’t much point in developing the land beyond it when the much more densely populated capital of the kingdom was just a day’s ride away. The kingdom of Kas Ragnoc didn’t have much in the way of ships save for a few exploration vessels, but Lightkeep was important for fishing.

The thickness of the forest made it difficult to move with any speed or silence. Sam was on high alert. “I know where we are,” he said. “I used to play in this area when I was a kid… We are really close to the outskirts.”

Ruby whispered as she crept through the brush, “Vip, can you smell anybody? Like a species you don’t recognize?”

Vip stopped and flicked his tongue, trying to pick up a scent. He coughed silently and nodded. “The scent of rain is making it hard to tell, but there’s definitely something I’ve never smelled before… It must be them.”

“Do you have any idea how close?” their leader asked.

He shook his head. Suddenly, however, they could all hear voices. They sounded close, maybe even less than twenty feet away. The voices were going back and forth in loud, rough voices. Sam spoke in a whisper, “Very close…”

Ruby held up a fist, signaling her party to stop. She then dropped low until she was on her belly, no doubt smearing wet dirt from a recent rainfall onto her uniform. Victoria did the same as her general, though she was more hesitant to drop her chest into the mud than Ruby had been.

Viper spun up a tree. If someone didn’t know where to look, he would’ve been practically invisible among the foliage. He held his bow to his chest, ready to make a quick kill if needed.

Sam copied the general and let the mud cover him. As dirty as it was, it did help mask their scent. 

The footsteps were getting closer. They were walking on the road, patrolling. They were fortunate to have been walking through the forest rather than the road adjacent to it.

“Do you smell something, Saber? Thought I caught a whiff of a female… Female in heat, maybe,” an alert voice spoke.

The other laughed. “Calm down, it’s just the scent of one of the villagers we have back in the town. We spent all morning with them, but the scent will fade soon… Well, unless we pay them another visit. Any of them catch your eye?”

Ruby lifted her head up to try and get the attention of the snake up in the tree. She shook her head at him, signaling not to fire and just to wait for the other creatures to pass.

Viper nodded at Ruby. Since climbing the tree, his eyes had been focused on her for a command.

“Yeah, a few, actually. Even a few of the men we captured look enticing. You know when it comes to foxes I don’t see gender, just a sexy ass and cute ears,” said the first one in response.

The other snickered. “I claimed one of the few human females. Only took an hour of disciplining to make her nice and submissive. It was a pretty successful occupation, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, this land is perfect… It was about time we found a good batch to replenish our women. Wait…” He stopped very close to Ruby and leaned his head in. “What is that stench… Ugh. Rather be forced to clean the holding pens than stick my nose in here!” It’d appear that, despite her best efforts, some small amount of Ruby’s infamous stench still clung to her even after her soak in the bathhouse. He spit at the smell, some of it landing on the skunk’s back hidden among the underbrush before he walked away quickly. “Come on, we have to keep checking out more cabins.”

Ruby had to make a quick decision. Judging by what she’d just heard, the sergals, or at least these two right in front of her, appeared to be monsters, rapists, and killers. They appeared to express no remorse for what they’d done, and this only caused more rage to boil up inside the skunk. She had to decide whether to do what she felt was just and murder these two right now, or let them get away so that she may perform further reconnaissance.

Her ideological side getting the better of her, she wanted to see these two men die. If all went well, she could take care of them both without gaining the attention of any other sergals. She lifted her head up just slightly again, getting Viper’s attention. She slowly dragged a thumb across her own throat, indicating that she wanted him to fire. If he could successfully neutralize one of them with a single good shot, then she, Victoria, and Geraldson ought to be able to take out the other one. Hopefully he wouldn’t yell too much in the process.

Viper still had a great angle. He pulled his string back, arrow at the ready. The three Kas Ragnoc soldiers on the ground couldn’t even hear the string as it was pulled back, but the two sergals suddenly froze before both looking into the dark canopy, eyes gleaming slightly. Viper knew he wouldn’t get a better opening, and he fired.

Viper was an amazing shot. He aimed the arrow for one the gap between one of the soldier’s helmet and chestplate. To everyone’s horror, however, the soldier’s reflexes were so sharp that he caught the arrow just before it could hit his windpipe. He jumped back as the other soldier pulled out a black-colored blade and snarled, covering his comrade. “Torrin, assassins! Get back!”

Ruby couldn’t believe her eyes as he caught the arrow in mid-air. That’s supposed to be impossible, she thought. Her plans completely foiled, she knew she’d have to freestyle the rest of this fight.

Ruby, still lying on the ground, didn’t want to risk standing up to spray. Given what she’d just witnessed, she guessed that there was a fair chance the hostiles would get to her before she could even make it to her feet. As such, she settled for rotating her body slightly toward the sergals and doing her best to land her musk near them. She didn’t truly hope to land a perfect shot, but all she needed at the moment was a distraction. And a distraction she did indeed get.

All the sergals would see before the overwhelmingly foul smell set in was a black and white mass pop out of the foliage followed by a spurt of yellow fluid in their direction. The first sense of theirs to notice the spray would be that of smell, but vision would soon follow. Tears involuntarily welled up in their eyes as they quickly found it intolerable to keep them open.

“Gas!” the sergal called Saber yelled out, closing his eyes shut. But he didn’t move back. Instead, he dashed right at the source, bashing his shield into the area of ground from which he’d briefly seen the squirt of yellow originate. He took the spray head-on and kept most of it off his ally, Torrin. Saber then blindly swung his claws at whomever he could. He eventually raked them across Sam’s armor, creating a small shower of sparks. His swings were both wide and savage, but were made all the more frightening by the skill with which he attacked even when blinded. Tears streamed down his face as he relied entirely on sound and what vague image he got a glimpse of before getting sprayed.

Sam had his weapon out by now, but was mostly trying not to get hit as Viper shot another arrow at the same sergal he’d nearly hit before. It landed in Torrin’s leg, forcing him to kneel in pain.

Ruby, clawing all she could with her spare hand at the enemy, reached into the ankle of her boot and drew her trusty knife before stabbing as many times as she could into the sergal’s body, not caring where it hit so long as it was making contact with the enemy’s coarse fur. Though she could tolerate the odor of her spray—as could her soldiers to a lesser extent—she was helpless when it came to getting over the stinging in her eyes. No amount of exposure to her own aerosolized musk could stop her from squinting through tears as she struggled to see. She was nearly as blind as the enemies were.

Saber was thrashing hard as Ruby stabbed him again and again. She was drawing blood, but not enough and not fast enough. The skunk felt a horribly rough grip on her head as she was pulled off and tossed into a tree, colliding with it with a sharp  _ thud _ .

Torrin pulled a crossbow off his back. It was of the larger variety that most soldiers had only ever seen Fang use before. He took aim at Vip, who was notching another arrow himself. The sergal was patient and seemed to wait for the snake to fire. The uncanny patience caused Viper to panic as he shot. The arrow broke against the sergal’s chestplate. When Torrin fired, his bolt was true. It was so strong that it pierced Vip’s scales and tore completely through the snake’s body. Viper made a horrible gasp of pain as the air left his lungs before falling a good eight feet to the ground.

“Viper!!” Victoria cried as the snake fell, her shout ending with the sickening thump made by the snake’s body hitting the ground.

Sam didn’t yell as he charged at the wounded sergal who’d just shot his best friend. Torrin retaliated by pulling out a small sword, and their blades met.

Victoria was left to fight against the blinded warrior as Ruby recovered from being hurled at a tree. “I… damn your gas…” Saber growled. “But there is no hiding that you both are women… Warrior women! Surrender and I’ll let the male fox live!”

Invigorated by the fury of seeing her friend just shot, Victoria dropped to all fours for a second as she sprinted and lunged at the sergal, wrestling him to the ground with her. Doing her best to ignore the horrendous smell’s assault on her senses, the leopard clamped down on Saber’s throat, which luckily had become exposed during the tussle. She could taste his blood as it spilled into her mouth, a surprisingly refreshing sensation for her, as she hadn’t hunted wild game since joining the military.

General Ruby, satisfied that the sergal known as Saber was being taken care of by Victoria, stood up finally after slamming against the tree trunk and focused her attention on the one currently dueling Sergeant Geraldson. Tightening her grip on the dagger, she ran over and dove at Torrin’s neck, sending a flurry of stabs at it as she tried to find an opening between his helmet and spaulders.

Torrin wasn’t able to fight against both Sam and Ruby at the same time. He was getting cut up and torn again and again. Sam drove his blade into the sergal’s shoulder, and suddenly Torrin couldn’t move his right arm. His other one was still getting sliced up badly by the skunk’s knife. He fell back, coughing up blood. “Saber!” 

Saber took Victoria’s bite and gasped as the rush of blood spilled forth. He let himself fall to a knee, bringing her down with him. But his gasp turned into a dark laugh as he opened his eyes to look at her. Victoria could see in his eyes that he wasn’t finished yet. “Little leopard gives love bites? Be rude not to return!” He ripped his neck away, the piece of skin Victoria had latched on to still in her mouth. Saber then opened his massive jaw and bit down hard on her shoulder and collarbone area.

The snow leopard threw her head back and screamed in pain as she was bitten. A second later her shout could actually be heard echoing from somewhere deep in the woods. Wrapping his arms around Victoria’s upper back, Saber lifted her up and in a loud, growling voice shouted for all to hear, “Stand down!” This caught Sam and Ruby’s attention.

Tori whimpered loudly as she was dragged off her feet by the beast’s maw. He was also lifting her up by the torso, but a fair amount of her weight was still being suspended by the teeth sunk into her flesh like steak on a meat hook.

Ruby, after kicking Torrin’s sword far away from him after he’d dropped it during his fall onto the forest floor, turned her attention to the sergal who’d just shouted. Her teeth gritted and a snarl plastered on her face, Ruby said, “Let go of her…” Her claws still dripping with fresh sergal blood, the skunk hissed at Saber.

Saber smiled wide, showing off several more teeth that could still be used on Victoria. He gripped her tightly. One arm was wrapped around her chest while the other gripped her by the ponytail on the back of her head hard as he pulled his teeth off her. “This one will be fine… for now. You are the leader here, yes?” he asked, facing Ruby. He then gestured to Torrin, “That one will die soon if not helped. I have one of yours. You have one of mine. We trade, and you run off to wherever you call a home.”

She ignored his proposition for now. If only she could receive the information she needed, she could then hurry back and report to the palace what she’s learned of the sergals. Perhaps they could even get there soon enough to save Victoria’s life, and maybe even Viper’s.

“What are you doing here?” the skunk asked. “Why have the sergals raided Lightkeep? What do you want?”

His grin widened as he got an idea. “You must be scouts—the eyes to see what happened to this village! Lightkeep, you said? Surrender yourselves and I’ll show you exactly what you wish to see of the sergal race!”

Ruby put her boot on Torrin’s throat. “You think we’re going to let you take us prisoner, too?” she scoffed, her intelligence insulted. “Answer the question before I extinguish what little life is left in your friend here!”

“No. I don’t want the male or the one gasping for air… I’ll even let this one go. But  _ you _ have exactly what we want! You have fire! Bloodlust! You are the reason I fight: a worthy challenger! All this land will feel our marching steps as we sweep through!”

She narrowed her eyes but let off the throat some, prompting the guy under her foot to take in a huge gasp of air. “A challenge is all you wanted? Did you feel you’d gotten one as you killed and locked up  _ women and children _ ?!”

“We have no interest in the children yet. When they are older, perhaps. The women learn quickly and shall become part of us. Yes, we are rough, but it will pass. We need them, or we will die.” He narrowed his eyes back at her and lifted Victoria up higher so she was closer to his mouth. “Look close… the bleeding has stopped. The bites hurt, but through pain we grow stronger!”

Torrin, though near death, said that last sentence with Saber. It was as if it was their motto.

Ruby placed her heel against Torrin’s throat again as she heard him speak.

She couldn’t wrap her head around how a species could be this cruel. From everything she was hearing from these two—who admittedly weren’t any sort of official ambassadors for the sergals—their species existed solely to fight, conquer, and kill. Still, she wanted to know what Saber meant about the women they were taking.

“You said you need our women,” Ruby said. “Why? Do you not have your own?” She pressed her heel against Torrin’s throat again as if to pressure Saber into answering quickly and honestly.

“We have the Den Mothers. They are few in number, but the strongest of us. They command, and we obey. The women and children of your village are safe. Those who surrendered we spare. But all resistance shall and will be crushed!”

He tensed up and squeezed on Tori harder after Ruby hurt Torrin more. “Don’t make me break this one… You will not hurt him. He is mine to keep alive!”

Ruby was furious now. She couldn’t believe they were trying to take the kingdom’s women as sex slaves and grooming their children to do the same one day. She couldn’t stand for it. Ruby told herself that maybe she wouldn’t be able to repel the invasion all on her own, but she would make sure these two weren’t lucky enough to take part in any more of this repugnant behavior.

She slowly lifted her foot off Torrin’s throat, then without warning slammed it back down as hard as she could. She didn’t quite know what, but she could feel something very vital to life snap under her boot. She then charged the other sergal with her dagger at the ready.

Saber presumed Torrin was dead, and that pissed him off. Still, he wasn’t in the best position to continue this fight. Right before Ruby could collide with him, Saber kicked his shield off the ground, sending it flying into Ruby’s ribs before running off through the trees. For a second, Ruby moved as if she were about to give chase to the sergal fleeing with Victoria, but she very quickly realized she didn’t stand a chance of catching up to him. The reports on this species’ speed were true, if not even understated. Skunks already weren’t the best runners, but the velocity of this sergal was completely unmatched by nearly any species.

Sam looked around, horrified. He tried to run after Victoria, but his attention was pulled away from her when he heard Viper’s gasping slow breaths. Sam rushed to his friend’s side. Viper was bleeding out fast—too fast. Sam pushed his hands over the wound trying to force magic into the wound, but Viper, now clinging to his friend’s arm, looked up at him with eyes that said it was over. “It… it’s ok, Sammy… It’s ok… This isn’t on you…”

Defeated, and pissed off at herself for letting one of her soldiers get carried away like that, Ruby let out a yell, then proceeded to take out her anger on the sergal whose throat she’d just crushed. Torrin was surprisingly not dead despite the break in his neck. He certainly wasn’t going anywhere, though.

Walking back over to him, she kicked the helmet off his head, then set to work doing her best to reduce his skull to a stain in the dirt. She stomped as hard as she could in the center of his face. He was hardly even able to let out a cry of pain. She then did it again. And again. On her fourth stomp, she could feel bones snapping as his snout finally gave way, cracking at one or more points along its length. It was likely he was dead or just seconds away from death now, but the skunk still wasn’t satisfied. Tears of frustration poured down her face as she brought her foot down on him over and over, repeatedly and repeatedly. Occasionally she’d make progress in reducing his skull structure from round toward flat, indicated from time to time by the satisfying crunching of bones under her foot.

Finally, at no particular milestone in her obliteration of the man’s face, she turned around, knelt, and sobbed into her hands. She was furious at herself for letting Victoria, the young corporal with so much of her life ahead of her, slip away.

Sam held on to Viper and cried so hard his own bones hurt. Viper didn’t feel the pain anymore as he just held on to the fox he loved so much but could never have again.

“We… We can get you medicine! We have bandages in our bags! It’s fine! It’s going to be ok!” Sam was pleading so hard—with Vip, with Death, with anyone that would hear his pain. The blood of his friend covered his own armor.

Viper had almost no strength left, but reached into his pocket and placed something into Sam’s palm. “May luck… always be yours… May you find love and peace.” The body of Viper fell limply to the ground as Sam screamed in sorrow. Something inside Sam had broken, and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be the same again.

Ruby rushed over to Sam as he held the snake. “What are you waiting for?!” she yelled at the fox. "Use your gods’ power or whatever! Hurry!!”

Sam was holding Viper to him, sobbing. “I… I wasn’t strong enough! He had lost too much blood as he was lying here! While you got your information from that sergal, my best… my best friend bled out!”

“Gods fucking  _ DAMMIT! _ ” she screamed. On that last word she threw her fist at the tree Vip had fallen out of. Splinters of bark flew past her as her knuckles immediately started to bleed. How could this get any worse? She’d failed everyone. Victoria was taken prisoner and probably being raped at that very moment. Viper, someone who’d trusted Ruby as his leader for over three years, had just died before her very eyes. On top of that, if she hadn’t been so emotional, he could still be alive.

Ruby dropped into a squatting position as she began round two of crying into her paws. Was there even a point in trying to get out of this situation? How could she ever return home with one of her three soldiers and a single, evil sergal’s testimony to the purpose of the invasion.

“I failed…”


	5. The State of Lightkeep

Saber held on to Victoria tightly. The run back to town wasn’t too long, as Ruby’s crew had successfully stealthed their way pretty close to Lightkeep before initiating the skirmish. Victoria’s shoulder was red and still bleeding, but only slightly. The screams Sam and Ruby made were loud enough for Saber to hear. It made him pause and listen. “The two wounded ones… are dead. If the one you called ‘Viper’ was your friend, know he died a good death.” He turned and continued running again. His breath the whole way was always level and calm.

As Lightkeep came into view, Victoria was finally able to see what had become of it. The destruction that the ranger had spoken of was only partially true. Military buildings, the main law house, as well as a few boats on the dock were reduced to cinders, but everything else was intact. Makeshift buildings had been set up all over as little housing areas for the hundreds upon hundreds of sergals that’d arrived via boat. The city was not destroyed. It was conquered.

“Halt!” a sergal guard commanded as the sergal and leopard neared the front gates. “Identify!”

“Saber of Den Winter!” He kept Victoria to his chest tight and spoke to her in a soft whisper. “Act up and I shall send a hundred men to get those I left behind.”

Hearing the name, the guards quickly opened the enormous doors to the walled city and bowed low. “Hail Winter.”

Paying them no mind, Saber walked in and they sealed the doors. Victoria was trapped inside Lightkeep now.

Victoria looked around at the features of the city only after her captor had passed it. While she was being dragged off to Lightkeep, the sergal had bound her wrists and ankles together and now held her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. This left her butt pointing up in the air and her tail angrily lashing side to side as she was unwillingly taken inside the walls of the city.

Several people passing by took an interest in the snow leopard, especially other sergals, but none stopped Saber as he made his way down the street with her. It's possible however that was only due to the awful smell he now carried with him. Eventually, they came to a plain but cozy-looking house. He set Victoria down on her feet and gave her a long look before pulling out a knife. “When I cut the rope on your feet. Are you going to try and run?”

“Probably,” she said, immaturely bitter about being captured and making no attempt to hide it. “Not like I can leave this city though. I can’t swim, can’t get past the walls.” She sighed.

He gestured around. “If any sergal sees you and you’re not with me, you will most likely be taken and claimed, or put into the pens until a job is assigned to you. Or if a sergal realizes you’re being disobedient, they might force themselves onto you. Fucking the unclaimed is frowned upon, but not unheard of. So I’d prefer if you didn’t run. Got it?”

“And how is getting fucked by one of them any worse than getting fucked by you?” She spit toward him but it fell short of hitting him.

He took the insult unfazed, albeit annoyed. “Are you stupid?” he asked very bluntly with a slight growl. He opened the door to the house, pulled her inside, then had her sit down on a sofa. Leaning in to her, he said, “If raping you were what I wanted, I would’ve done that the moment I knew I was safe from those others you traveled with!”

She gave him a funny look. “I presumed you just wanted to do it somewhere more comfortable…” She looked around the room she was in. “Why the fuck am I in this house then?”

“It’s mine. My new mate is here, too. She needs to bandage you up, then she’ll do me. I don’t want that wound of yours to get infected. And just to be clear, you do anything to her and I will show you why people fear us…” He leaned down and cut the rope from her ankles and then pulled her up into a standing position. “Go on,” he gestured to the adjacent room.

She gave him a very unsure look. “Is this going to be one of your sex slaves in the next room or another one of you fucking sergals?”

He smacked her hard across the mouth, glaring angrily. “Fiona is not a sex slave! That’s… That’s not what she is! You will not disrespect her in my presence.”

A human woman walked in and gasped as she saw Victoria get smacked. She was a bit beaten herself, but looked otherwise fine. She was soft-spoken but spoke loud enough to be heard. “Saber! Why are you hitting this injured woman? …And what in the gods’ name is that rancid smell?!”

Saber huffed. “She called you a sex slave. She shouldn’t talk about you that way!”

“I didn't know who the hell she was!” the leopard snapped back at Saber. She was relieved to actually see someone of a species she recognized. Granted, humans were rare in Kas Ragnoc—about as rare as skunks or snakes—but she’d seen the odd, furless creatures a few times before.

Victoria looked over at the woman Saber had called his mate. “Do you know anything about healing? Your husband here decided to take a chunk out of my shoulder.”

Saber looked between both of the women and actually pinned his ears back just a bit. “I’m still worked up from fighting. The stink is still in my nose. Sorry, mate, I shouldn’t have hit her like that…” He didn’t apologize to Victoria, but he did actually apologize.

Fiona walked over and offered the other girl a hand. “Yes, I do know how to heal a bit. Let me get you cleaned and some food in you.”

Victoria took it upon herself to answer Fiona’s question as her mate had apparently ignored it. “He got sprayed by a skunk,” she told her. “I assume you’re from around here and know what that means.”

“Oh, yes…” She walked to Saber and rubbed his chest. “The bath is ready for you, and I’ll give you something to help with the smell. I will keep an eye on our guest. Please go clean up. Your nose is sensitive, right my big mate?”

How Fiona talked to him was clearly intentional and meant to make the soldier feel loved and cared for. His whole body relaxed when she touched him. He sighed and nodded, “I’ll go…” He looked over at Tori. “I will have questions for you soon.” With that, he went to a different room to bathe.

Victoria held her hand out in his direction, “Wait!” She had an important question to ask him that she knew she couldn't function without knowing the answer to. “What are you going to do about the three still out in the woods?” she asked him. “The skunk, the fox, and the snake.” Despite what Saber had tried to tell her earlier, Victoria was holding out hope that Vip was still alive. “Are you not going to send someone after them?” As much as she wanted the other three to get out alive, it didn’t make sense for someone like Saber not to want to hunt them down.

He stopped and turned just slightly to look at Victoria. “What people in the woods? Fiona, I’m hungry. Fix her up, then cook me some fish like last night…” With that, he left her alone with his mate. As he went into the bathroom and checked out his neck in the mirror, he learned Victoria’s bite wasn’t as bad as it had seemed. This made him smile. He stripped and started to bathe.

The leopard was left in stunned silence. Had he truly expected his mate to believe that he’d been sprayed by some wild skunk? It was still nighttime, so it wasn’t the most far-fetched idea.

With a sigh, Victoria turned to the human in the room and pulled down the wide collar of her shirt some so that she could see where the serrated teeth of the sergal had sunken into her skin. She didn’t say a word to her for the time being.

Fiona sat her down and got to work helping the feline. She too was quiet for a bit. “I take it you're a soldier from Kas Ragnoc? And you were with others trying to scout us out?” She spoke softly and smoothly as she applied medicine and herbs, starting to clean her up very well. “It’s best not to lie to me, hon. Honesty is one thing that sergals hold above all else, except for perhaps their Den Mothers.”

Despite what Fiona said, Victoria wasn’t sure if she should tell the truth about why she was there. She didn’t know if she should be talking to the enemy like this, or if she should even be letting her apply some substance Victoria didn’t recognize into her fur. For the time being, she decided to just buy herself some time by questioning the questioner.

“What the hell is a ‘Den Mother’?” she asked impatiently. “And what the hell are you even doing living with the sergals? Have you no allegiance to your former neighbors in Lightkeep?” She had presumed that Fiona began living with the sergals only when this city was raided, disregarding the possibility that she’d met Saber during a previous raid.

She sighed and gave Victoria a long look as if deciding herself what she should say. “Have you ever been raped or abused? Felt helpless and scared?”

“Raped? No. Felt helpless or scared… Yeah, my general is quite intimidating. And there have been other times, of course. Where are you going with this?”

“Several years ago, before these sergals came, my then husband was a charming, hardworking bull. We met at the docks not five minutes from here. He was a fisherman and I was a cook.” She sighed. “After our first year together, he stopped hiding his true self. He forced himself on me at all times, beat me, did things I will not go into details about. Luckily, one day, there was an accident at sea. Drinking while fishing, he fell in and wasn’t ever found.” She finished cleaning the wound. “Yes, these sergals attacked our village. They killed many, but also spared those who complied. My point is simply this: you may see them as mindless evil brutes who wish to conquer and rape, but they rape as a harsh punishment. And they strike others for stepping out of line, but they also strike other sergals, too. They are harsh and direct, but it is the way their society works.” She stood and pulled the leopard up gently. “Let’s talk In the kitchen. You look starved!”

Victoria didn’t know how to respond to this. Clearly this woman was deeply, deeply damaged. She’d been mistreated by a bad man who didn’t show his true colors until they were married, and that led her to think just about everyone was abusive. Now, when someone came along who wasn't secretive about their true, abusive nature, she found them comforting. That must be it, she thought to herself.

Clearly this woman was either damaged enough or brainwashed enough to be pro-sergal through and through, and there was no reasoning with her about it. Nonetheless, Tori did find herself needing food. She hadn’t eaten since she was at the abandoned cabin, when Vip was kind enough to offer her some more of his leather pouch of food. She hoped that man was still alive. He’s a good man.

There was still one more question she hadn’t gotten answered as she followed the human into the kitchen. “So, what’s a Den Mother then?”

Once in the kitchen, Fiona continued talking as she sliced open a fish and started to cook it on a wood stove. “Why are you so curious about the Den Mothers?”

“Because I’ve heard it mentioned a few times now and still have no idea what it means. What is it?”

Fiona chuckled softly. “I’ll tell you what I know. From what I can tell, there are five dens. And the heads of these houses are several Den Mothers. Sergal women are naturally imbued with magic and treated as royalty.”

“Oh, I see… Kind of like queen bees, or something, except with magic?” she asked, starting to wrap her head around it. “Does this have anything to do with how I heard Saber identify himself as ‘Den Winter’ when he entered the gates?”

“Yes. Den Winter is the home of our warriors.” She set down a deliciously cooked and prepared fish before Victoria with a smile.

The cat took a deep breath as the food was set down right in front of her. It indeed smelled delectable to her starving self, but she was still extremely wary about being in this house, let alone eating the food served to her in it. “…How did you come to accept the sergals?” Victoria asked, trying to get her mind off the cooked fish that was making her salivate. “Surely they didn’t sail up to your shores, start pillaging, and you just threw yourself into their arms, yes?” Only a couple days had passed since the first sighting of a sergal was even reported in the kingdom of Kas Ragnoc, so this lady must have assimilated quickly. “How did that happen?”

She noticed Tori not eating and looked a bit upset. “Don’t like it?” She thought about the question. “Look, I know it seems quick, and it’s not like I am saying they have it all figured out. They clearly have issues and they have done bad things. When they attacked, most people hid in their homes, myself included. We only had a small garrison stationed here, and only thirty people were killed in the fighting. The rest surrendered. The sergals wanted a great battle, but they didn’t get that. Instead they took control of a great food resource and many, many women. Women are their biggest reason for doing what they do.”

“What do they need women for?!” Victoria demanded. “Is it for reproductive reasons? Why are they not satisfied doing that with their own sergal women? Why is a hostile takeover necessary?!”

Fiona looked at Victoria surprised, and then realized what she must be missing. “Miss… out of the nearly two thousand sergals here, there are maybe only ten are female.”

“Is that… because there are so few women in the military? Or is the gender ratio really…?"

“That is the gender ratio. At least for the actual sergals. Technically they consider me ‘sergal’ since I’m now with one. But there are only about ten real, sergal females in total… All the rest are males.”

“Oh…” Victoria settled down some and began eating the fish Fiona had prepared for her, eating it one piece at a time by skewering them with her claws. “Did they not even make an attempt at diplomacy before the violence started?” Victoria asked. “I’m sure some number of the kingdom’s females would be willing to mate with a previously unknown species.”

“From what I can tell, they tried that long ago when they first realized their situation. The kingdom they tried to work with tricked them, and they became slaves. When they rose up and broke free, they vowed to themselves that they never would be slaves again. They fully intend on making everyone they take over a part of their culture… but the thirst for battle can get to their heads.” Fiona smiled as the snow leopard ate the way she did. Fiona herself ate before cooking Saber’s meal with a rather happy smile on her face.

“Have… most of the other women of the town adapted to their new captors as well as you have?” Victoria tried asking. “And what of the men who weren’t killed? You said just thirty died before a surrender was declared. Where are the other two hundred-or-so men if the sergals have no purpose for them?”

She sighed slightly. “I can’t speak for all the women. I’m sure many haven’t accepted so quickly like me. For now the men are being held comfortably in a separate area. Each one will be asked questions. The Den Mothers test to see if they are what they would consider to be ‘pure’ and then given a choice: to join as new citizens under the sergal banner as servants or warriors, or to be released. They will only be given this opportunity once. Should a soldier be captured as an enemy a second time, they will be killed.”

“Right…” Victoria felt as if she’d learned everything she needed. She’d have to go find Ruby now and give her all the information she had just acquired.

The leopard leaned in a bit closer to the human. “Saber told me that if I were seen walking the streets alone, I’d be apprehended by one of the guards. Does the same go for you, or do they know by now that you're one of them?”

“I have been marked, hon. They will know that I am sergal. But if you’re asking for me to help you escape, I’m afraid that’s not a good idea…” She didn’t say that as a threat. She seemed to be expressing genuine concern for Victoria.

“Marked? What does that mean? Like, a scent, or have you been branded?”

She hesitated and covered her neck slightly. “It’s nothing like a brand… but I don’t know if I should say the details as it was… intimate. But he and I are connected to each other now.”

Victoria didn’t quite understand what she meant by this, but she supposed it wasn’t all that important. She just assumed the human had some sort of hickey on her neck. All that really mattered to her was that Fiona could walk down the street and not be treated suspiciously. That was good enough.

The snow leopard got up from her seat, leaving her plate, now empty, on the table, then slowly started making her way over to the human as she cooked. Victoria did her best to act like she was casually meandering around the kitchen to get a better look at something as she walked behind Fiona to look out the window.

Fiona just started to clean her plate and kept cooking the food for Saber. “Anything else I can help you with? Oh, dear me! I completely forgot to unbind your wrists. They must be killing you!” She grabbed a knife and walked over to free Victoria.

Victoria had been getting ready to choke Fiona out with the rope that bound her wrists together, but she put that plan on hold as she saw the human pick up a knife. “Oh, yes,” she said eagerly, holding her paws out for her. “Thank you.”

She cut it and looked over her wrists. “Bruised… Do you want something for the pain, hon?”

“Uh, sure. What can you offer?”

“Oh, some herbs and a rubbing paste meant for hand blisters while fishing, but it’d also be perfect for this. Come, let’s go sit down in the living room!” Fiona smiled brightly and walked toward the seating area to be comfortable.

Victoria casually walked behind the couch Fiona had sat down on, then, using her signature proficiency in sudden and unexpected movements, she placed her hands tight around the human’s soft neck. She poked her claws into the skin not hard enough to draw blood, but rather to make it clear to her that she could if she wanted to. She gritted her teeth and whispered in her ear, “Don't scream, or I will kill you…”

“Oh… Oh you poor, poor girl…” She didn’t scream, she just turned her head to look at Victoria out of the corner of her eye. “Please stop right now and I might be able to calm him down…” She seemed scared, though clearly not for herself.

“I’m not scared of him when I can slit your throat at a moment’s notice,” she hissed, slowly drawing a claw lightly against her skin. It clearly had been sharpened on her trip toward the city and was now practically as sharp as a knife. “Now stand up.”

The bathroom door slammed open hard enough that it broke off its hinges. He took a step out but didn’t move toward the two women. His eyes didn’t hide his fury.

Fiona didn’t move or flinch. She just spoke in her calm voice. “Don’t kill her, Saber. I’m ok. She’s just trying to scare you! Dammit, girl, don’t be stupid!”

“I am leaving this city,” she announced to the two of them. “I will not be held captive. Escort me out the gate or we see what the inside of Fiona’s throat looks like.” She spoke quite confidently despite not being totally sure she could slice it open in just one move.

“I let your comrades flee without chase… I bring you into my own home for negotiation. I warn you of the consequences of your actions, and still you would choose to hurt my mate—a citizen that was until this week part of the kingdom you swear to protect!” The anger was fiery, his emotions overwhelming him.

“She’s changed allegiances!” Victoria fired back. “I have no qualms killing her if I am not freed from this prison! I don’t care to take part in your negotiations, I care to return to my home!” She tightened her grip on the human’s throat.

“You are a horrid creature. When I ride to speak to your king, he will hear of how you threaten innocents! You are not a people to be trusted! Mate!” He directed his attention to Fiona. “Do what the woman asks…”

“O… ok… Shall I stand then?” Fiona asked, looking up at her.

Tori smiled as she seemed to be getting what she wanted. “Perhaps you’re smarter than you look. Yes, please do stand up,” she told the human.

She stood and Saber stayed close. “You impressed me earlier, so I’ll give you one last chance… Let her go and be disciplined, or else you will face the Mothers.”

Fiona moved however Victoria willed her, trying not to struggle as to and avoid making her angry.

“I intend to either leave this damned place or die trying,” she informed the sergal. “Fuck your Den Mothers.” She attempted to navigate toward the front door of the house, Fiona still between her claws.

Victoria’s jerking around caused her to poke Fiona’s neck hard enough to draw blood. It was not a lot, but still enough to be seen. Fiona opened the door with a wince, and Victoria was presented with the center of an unfamiliar village.

Victoria looked up and down the street. If she remembered correctly, she’d entered the village, hoisted on Saber’s shoulder, through a gate that was to the left of where she was now standing. To her right she could see the ocean, so she figured right was definitely not the way to go. Cautiously, she stepped out of the house and began down the road.

In the night it was almost impossible to see the sergal crouched on top of the house they had just left. Making no sound, he watched the two bumble about on the corporal’s escape attempt. He loaded the small dart dipped in a powerful sedative into a small blowgun and, when he got a look at her neck, fired. She felt a small pinch on her neck and instantly began to get drowsy. Fiona made sure to grip her paws hands so that she wasn’t clawed as the feline fell. “I told you not to do it…” she whispered gently. “Why didn’t you simply wait?”

As she felt something sting her neck followed by her consciousness fading, Victoria instantly knew she had little time remaining. She tossed Fiona aside before making a mad dash for the gate. Her steps grew more and more stumbly by the second, and after making it just a few yards she collapsed face-first into the dirt road.


	6. Reassessing

“Let’s weigh our options,” Ruby said to Sam. She was squatting on the ground, only recently having calmed herself down and stopped crying. “We’ve acquired a good deal of knowledge about the sergals already. It’s not quite as much as we were hoping for, but it’s something. And I think we have reason to believe what we were told. Did you see the medals that man wore? They were intricate and gold. No matter where you are in the world, gold is rare. It can only be used for the higher-ranking members of the military. I don’t think someone equivalent to my status or higher would lie to us about their intentions. So, we could leave Victoria behind and return to the kingdom now to deliver them substandard but helpful intelligence on the enemy. Ok, that’s option A.”

Her eyes still red, she took a deep breath and turned to look directly at her sergeant. “We’re not leaving Vip here, ok? He was a good man. He will receive a proper funeral. I will make sure of it.”

“In option B, however, we risk postponing Sgt. Vip’s funeral by a day or more and we attempt to rescue Victoria. We can take his body back to the cabin our horses are tied up at and leave him there as we attempt to rescue Cpl. Wildheart.” She looked away solemnly. “This plan carries much more risk. To start, we don’t even know where in Lightkeep Victoria is being held. We can be fairly confident she is alive, though, as there’d be no point in taking her if they didn’t intend on keeping her alive. She must be in there somewhere, but actually getting to her would be nearly impossible. Four of us could hardly take on two sergals, and we still had one captured and both sides experienced a fatality. Those damn things are freakishly strong and ridiculously fast. We wouldn’t quite have the element of surprise on our side, either, as I sprayed less than an hour ago and you’ve been in the vicinity of my musk ever since then, so it's stuck to your fur as well. You heard how they could smell me when I was yards away, hadn’t sprayed in nearly forty-eight hours, and took a bath between then and now. They must have impossibly strong noses as well, though they appear capable of ‘turning off’ that sensitivity at will, as they managed to fight us fairly effectively despite having just been sprayed. So, that means no good chance of just running in there, spraying everybody, grabbing Victoria, and getting out. I must only have five rounds of musk left now anyway.”

“Option C,” Ruby continued, “is diplomacy. Perhaps we and the sergals just got off on the wrong foot. After all, the first thing I really did upon them walking by was spray them. In my defense, they were talking about having done real heinous things, but maybe those were just a couple bad apples. Perhaps, if we approach the gates to Lightkeep with no obvious malice or anything, they’ll let us in and we can talk. Or maybe we’ll be shot by a crossbow on site. This option is admittedly very risky as well.”

Sam had stopped crying and was trying to focus with Ruby. “I, uh… So we can run home, or we can try to rescue our friend. And we can attempt this rescue by either fighting or talking? Does that sound right? The option that gives us our best chance at living is what I like least… We can’t leave her. I think… we shouldn’t have attacked.” He looked up at Ruby. He was no longer angry, just sad. “But it wasn’t your fault. I’m sorry for sounding like it was. We all knew the risks.” He clutched the small coin in his hand and smiled despite himself. “This was the coin we used when we decided if we were going to travel together. We flipped it and called heads. So we figured fate had guided us together…”

“Hmm?” Ruby’s curiosity was piqued. “When was this? Were you three planning on backing out of this mission?”

He shook his head. “I apologize. I meant when Vip and I first started to travel together three years ago. We had come to a split and were going to part ways, but we decided to see if that’s what fate wanted…” He started to tear up so he pocketed the coin quickly. “Sorry, ma’am…”

Ruby could feel her heart softening as she heard Geraldson go on about his recently deceased friend. Eventually, however, she found herself growing angry for some reason.

“It wasn’t fate that brought you to this point,” she said. “If fate were real, it wouldn’t have let a man as good as Viper die like that. It wasn’t fate that did that to him. It was those damn sergals. Now what are we going to do about it?” Ruby stood up and walked over to Sam. “Those creatures must be dealt with, either by force or diplomacy. Now, are you going to stay here and sulk, or are you coming with me?” She held out her paw to help him up.

He let out a half-chuckle and nodded. He took her hand and stood up. “I’m still following your lead ma’am, but… we might need to go with a gentler touch for our next meeting…”

“I’ve dealt with death before,” she told him. “Believe me, there is a time and place for mourning, but that is not in the middle of a mission.” She looked toward the city. “It’s just you and me now, so your input matters. Which option are we going with?”

He sighed, rubbing his head and looking around. “Look, let’s get Viper back to the abandoned cabin. We can use the stuff there to clean up a bit, then finally decide what to do.”

She sighed. “Yeah, fair enough. You get his tail and I’ll get his head?”

———

In complete darkness, Tori awoke. Her head was pounding and her nose was killing her. Must’ve been caused by falling during her escape attempt, she thought. Her arms felt pulled in opposite directions and she was naked. A rough hand grabbed what looked like a leather hood and pulled it off her head. Before her stood an unfamiliar sergal. His fur was red and black, and scars covered his body.

She looked up at the figure in groggy fear. It seemed the tranquilizer’s effect hadn't totally worn off yet. “Who the bloody are you?” she asked, too exhausted to form a grammatically correct sentence. Her brain had hardly even registered yet that she was nude.

“If you possess any intelligence, you will remember the manners you learned in your military before I start breaking ribs to help you remember.” His voice was deep and booming. She could feel the low rumble of his voice in her chest. “I am Commander Lucian of Den Red.”

She sobered up almost instantly at the graveness of his tone. “Yes, sir…” she said hesitantly, reluctant to address him like some kind of authority figure. “What am I doing here? Where is here?”

“A repentance chamber for crimes committed while under the care of a general in the sergal army. If you cooperate, you will still be able to function almost normally when I’m finished. First, though, state your name, rank, and allegiance so I know how to speak to you.”

She sighed heavily. “Corporal Victoria Wildheart of the Kas Ragnoc army,” she recited the words drilled into her head since the last time she received a promotion. She only then registered the words ‘function almost normally’. She froze up. “What the hell are you going to do to me?” she demanded, ignoring what had previously been said about manners. She was convinced they were about to cut her legs off or something.

The fast strike across her jaw happened so fast she almost didn’t see him move. And though her jaw stung and throbbed, it looked like he barely spent any effort doing it. “I will speak and you will answer. If you have a question you will ask politely and not while I am speaking. Do that again and I won’t be so gentle.”

She gasped sharply as she was struck. She could feel blood drip into her mouth, a sensation not nearly as satisfying as it had been when she'd bitten Saber the previous day.

She was so scared and lost and didn’t know what to do. “Y-yes, sir…” she said shakily, a drop of blood spilling onto the fur of her bare chest as she stared down at the floor.

“You knowingly defied the rule of General Saber Winter-edge when you threatened and attacked his mate. Do you accept doing this?” His arms were crossed and his eyes seemed to almost glow in the poorly lit room.

“I did it only because he captured me and wouldn't let me leave Lightkeep. Does he not get punished for this?!”

He let that slight outburst slide. “Saber captured an enemy who attacked him and another sergal while patrolling. Once he returned, he was very fair and proper and trusted you with his mate. You were to be used in the peace talks. Saber did nothing to you personally to warrant your engaging with his mate.”

“I was given no warning of peace talks! And why would I be holding negotiations with him, a lowly soldier, and not someone like one of those damn Den Mothers?!” She was tired of withholding her rage. She just wanted her freedom or her death—though she greatly preferred the former. “And what do you mean he didn't do anything personally to me?! He bit and kidnapped me!!”

Hearing her shout again, he was polite enough to let her finish what she had to say before, with extreme precision, punching the lowest rib in her chest. A sudden crack filled the room before he went back to folding his arms.

Victoria let out a scream as she felt her lowest right rib snap instantly. The pain and fear she’d once let shape her into an obedient creature under Ruby now led her to develop an even greater disdain for this species.

“You are clearly new to war and pain. We sergals go through this constantly! Had you been bound like this by Saber, I might understand your logic. But you were not! Your fear and anger has clouded your mind!”

“Fuck yourself…” she growled at Lucian Red through tear-filled whimpers. “Why did you even go through the trouble of stripping me and chaining me up. Just kill me already! I'll never be one of your sex slaves without scratching and biting everyone who tries to touch me.”

“Saber mentioned this… ‘Sex slave’. You have no concept of what being a sex slave is! And no, you will not, in fact, die by the time I’m done with you. Before long, most of your injuries won’t bother you. But you have broken our laws and rules, so you will face punishment. Or is your kingdom fine with such behavior? Attacking innocents? Screaming profanities at what we hold holy?”

“Attacking innocents?!” She couldn’t stop herself from laughing at that one, which was unfortunate because laughing hurt her ribs even worse than talking and breathing did. “You raided a sovereign city! You wrongfully imprisoned or killed those who didn’t submit to your sick laws! And you want to lecture me on attacking innocents?!” She laughed for a couple more seconds before stopping due to the pain in her chest. “Your army will fall to Kas Ragnoc. Diplomacy was once an option for you, but you’ve squandered it.” She was speaking out of her ass now. She had no say in how diplomacy between the two nations played out. Victoria just wanted to vent her anger.

“We have squandered nothing. We choose not to kill all of these citizens or soldiers. This city is a bargaining chip with your king. There is reason and logic to this, and we will integrate those that see the beauty of our ways. Everyone else will be free once we establish that we will not be pushed aside or enslaved again.” He moved to Victoria’s side and started to inspect her claws.

She tried not to pay attention to him as he seemed to take an interest in her hands. “What of your homeland then? I don’t know where you came from, but why is it necessary for you to expand onto our continent?”

“Now you wish to talk and learn? A pity you didn’t simply talk while you were at Saber’s home. He is a general, mind you. That is why he was able to decide how to deal with you.” He pressed on her paw in a certain area, forcing her claws to extend He looked at them. “Are you left- or right-handed…?”

“How the hell do you know how to make a cat extend its claws?” she asked him, amazed they had this sort of intel on her species already. She was right-handed, but she had a feeling she shouldn’t be truthful with him about that. “Uh, left. Left-handed.”

“For your sake, I hope you are telling the truth…” He was holding her paw when he remembered something. He reached behind him to a small table and found a leather bite guard. “Bite on this. It will help.”

She instantly used her tongue to push the piece of leather out of her mouth. “What the hell are you going to do to me?!”

He watched her spit it out and shrugged. “Shame… I’m declawing your nondominant hand. Using your own claws to wound someone, especially a mate, is something we cannot stand. Fiona asked that you not lose your entire hand, and we accepted.”

She could feel herself start hyperventilating at the word ‘declaw’. “I lied, I lied!” she said desperately. “I’m right-handed! Please, please, don’t do anything.” She began yanking on the leather restraints that connected her via steel chains to the wall.

His fists pounded hard on the table before grabbing her face. “Do you know what the old masters did when a sergal slave would lie, Cpl. Victoria?! They would force our mouths open and tell us to choose: your teeth, or your tongue! If you ever lie to me again, I will have no problem taking both!”

She was crying again. “Understood…” she wept, staring down. “It won’t happen again. I promise.” Despite her hatred for this situation and the sergal species as a whole, she found herself feeling the slightest amount of affection for this man who’d just forgiven her and allowed her not to lose fighting use of her dominant hand.

His grip on her softened and he let go of her mouth. She caught a glimpse of an emotion in his eyes—pity, or perhaps an acknowledgement of her words. When he spoke next, his voice was much more relaxed. “I won’t make it hurt too badly… You won’t believe me, but this doesn’t bring me joy.” He moved to her left hand and took it gently. He found the spot again and pressed it until her claws popped out again. He grabbed what looked like a special set of pliers and looked at the snow leopard. “Take a deep breath, Victoria…”

“Please don’t do it…” she begged one last time, sobbing harder now. “Do you know how important claws are to cats?”

He looked at her and held up a hand of his. All the claws except for those of his thumb and pointer finger were missing, though his were non-retractable. “I do. But once you’re through this, you shall be forgiven."

“And I will be let go?” she wept. “I want to go back home…”

“I promise you this: if, after this, you don’t cause trouble, I will personally take you to your kingdom. You have my word.” He set his tools down and locked her wrists down for her own safety.

“O-ok…” she muttered, choked up from her own sobbing. “C-could I please have that leather thing back to bite on…?” She was already shaking.

He gave her a very sad smile and nodded. “Of course.” Lucian grabbed it and cleaned it and before placing the strip of leather in Victoria’s mouth. He looked focused as he hovered over her paw. He had a short but incredibly sharp knife and a small, pliers-like device to hold the finger of choice in place.

Declawing a feline was not as simple as trimming, or even ripping out a nail. To ensure their claws did not grow back, one had to cut off the entire tip of the finger past its third joint. After this procedure, Victoria would not only lose use of her three removed claws, but she’d also have to learn to use her left hand with three incomplete fingers. Lucian took a deep breath and sliced into her middle finger.

This isn’t so bad, she thought as the knife touched her finger. But then he started to push down on it. She screamed through the leather strap, kicking her legs in agony. She could feel the moment he cut deep enough to reach her bone. There was a sickening thunk as hard metal finally made contact with bone, though the noises were hardly of any concern as the agonizing pain quickly overwhelmed the poor girl. She braced herself for the moment Lucian finally put enough force on the knife to slice through her bone.

He had done this dozens of times and every subject was different. He could go slow or fast, depending on the criminal. But her? He had to simply make her understand the wrongness of her actions and then there could be forgiveness. He worked fast. The moment the first claw was cut through, the fingertip tumbled to the floor and he started on the ring finger, repeating his procedure.

She screamed again as the knife made it all the way through her bone and hit the stone on the other side. She could feel hot blood trickle down the length of her fingers as her torturer kept working. The whole process was made all the more real for the leopard as she saw the stub that’d just been the tip of her finger drop to the floor beside her, claw still extended. She couldn’t even think with all that was going on. Her mind was simply drowning in a flood of agony. And it still wasn’t over.

By the third finger, Victoria’s wails and heavy breathing gave way to passing out. Lucian of Den Red was glad it was over—and that she couldn’t see him as he dropped severe demeanor and started to heal her. He spoke low as he muttered some of the few spells he knew. The bleeding didn’t stop entirely, but it was slowed some as her body’s reparative processes were hastened. Lucian carried her to his temporary home. He had no mates to speak of, so he tucked her into the main bed of the house and left her in peace.


	7. A Glimmer of Hope

Victoria awoke less groggily than she had before. She had no idea where she was, but she could tell her left paw felt a little lighter. She didn’t dare look at it.

The room was dark. A small tray was next to her on the large, queen-size bed. On the tray was a bowl holding cooked meat and rice and beside it was what looked like a strange, yellow-tinted drink. Tori was alone in the room.

“Hello?” she called out to anyone who could possibly be listening. She could feel her body shaking. Evidently she’d lost quite a bit of blood during the ‘operation’. She finally held up her left paw to see it was bound in bandages.

The blood around the tips of her three removed claws wasn’t as bad as she’d thought, but her fingers still ached. The door opened and Lucian walked in. He wasn’t in armor, just his common clothes. He looked massive in the doorway not designed for his species. “Madam Victoria, you’re awake.”

Her expression quickly soured as the man who had amputated the tips of her digits walked in. She extended all of the claws she had remaining. “When am I leaving?” she immediately asked.

He sighed and bowed his head before walking to her bedside and dropping into a full kneel so he could be at the same height as Victoria while she was still in bed. “Soon… like I promised.”

She growled. She was sick of all these partial answers she kept getting. “Don’t tell me soon!” Victoria raised her voice some. “When? Today? Tomorrow?!”

“Arrangements are currently being made. I don’t have a date yet. Two days at the most. If we don’t make an arrangement by then, I’ll bring you back regardless. I know you wish to leave.” He spoke softly, not trying to be scary or intimidating. “The mothers are deciding if you would be useful in negotiations with the king. Otherwise, I could let you leave whenever.”

“But you need to eat, recover your strength. Call if you need me.” He stood and looked over the snow leopard quickly before turning to leave her alone.

“You gods damn sergals…” she hissed as she was left alone. “And what is this yellow drink?!” Victoria called.

“Tea and honey. It helps,” he called back into the room. “Tell me if you’d like anything else, Miss Victoria. And please, stop yelling about sergals as a whole.”

Reluctantly, Victoria began eating. She was very slow and hesitant at first, but as her hunger and need to make the shaking stop increased, she began to eat more ravenously.

From the other room, the commander was looking over a war table. It included lists of troops and intel on the nearby kingdom of Kas Ragnoc, as well as various reports on the local tribes. He was very interested in the tribes nearby. He wondered if they would be a real challenge to convert, and if it would even be worth it. Surely, tribal warriors would see the strength of the sergals. It should be much easier to bring them under the sergal banner than the kingdom.

He heard Victoria munching and he smiled, happy that she was finally eating.

———

Ruby, lugging Vip’s corpse by its head, looked over her shoulder at the cabin as she approached. “Uh oh,” she said almost immediately. “Sam, there’s a light on inside.”

Sam lifted his head and sniffed as he looked at the dimly lit house. “Y… Yeah, there’s definitely someone here. Sergals?” They could see two figures walking back and forth inside the cabin. Ruby and Sam were too far away to be able to make out words, but judging by the way they spoke they didn’t seem to be sergals.

Ruby slowly lowered Viper to the ground, which she was almost eager to do because the snake’s limp, very heavy body was starting to make her back ache. “I’ll go check it out,” she whispered. “If I scream or spray or run out of there, I want you to be ready to sprint as hard as you can far away from here. Understood, Geraldson?”

“I…” he wanted to argue, but he didn’t push it. “Yes, ma’am, I understand… Be careful, please?” Sam stayed crouching near the body of his friend and waited for Ruby’s signal.

She gave him a nod and started toward the cabin. She crept close to the ground before finally making it to the kicked-in front door. She poked her head in and looked around.

The two men inside were mid-argument. One was a tiger, tall and with broad shoulders. He wore almost no armor, which allowed him to show off his tribal tattoos and battle scars. “Dammit! We can’t stay here any longer. The sergals could be back at any time. We should bail on this recon,” he said.

Beside him was a member of one of the bird clans. He had black armor with dagger-like blades affixed to his talons. He seemed to be growing tired of this argument. “Look, we have to get information for our clans! Like it or not, we can’t stay separated any longer. What if they try to take over what we hold dear next?!”

The two had a few tense moments before they both started sniffing the air. They looked around as if attempting to discern where it could be coming from.

“General of Kas Ragnoc!” Ruby suddenly stated proudly, standing straight up in the doorway. She wasn’t sure if they were familiar enough with her species to identify her as the source of the smell, but they would be able to smell it much more clearly now.

Both of them looked ready to attack her when Ruby sprung up as she did, but then they breathed a sigh of relief as they realized she was friendly—or at least, not hostile.

Kas Ragnoc’s relations with the neighboring tribes were complicated. Occasionally a skirmish would break out between patrol guards of the city and tribal warriors, but these were usually de-escalated quickly following negotiations between higher-ups of each group. Generally fights were simply the results of soldiers being too jumpy and mistakenly starting a fight, so calm interactions held by their leaders usually ended much better than those initiated by individual warriors.

“We too have been engaged in reconnaissance of the sergal forces,” she announced.

The tiger spoke first. “‘We’? Who else is here then? Are those your horses tied up out there?”

She nodded. “I have one man with me. I’ve... lost my other two to the sergals.” Ruby looked embarrassed to admit it.

“Ya lost your whole damn band, too!” said the tiger almost aggressively. 

The bird shot him a look before speaking calmly. “Forgive my companion here. Though our alliances differ, I assure you we must act as allies in this. If we can’t unite, defeat is inevitable… The two you lost, were they taken or were they killed?”

“One was taken and one was… killed.” Ruby looked down at her feet, still ashamed to have lost one of her men on what was meant to be a simple, combat-free recon mission. “The one who was captured is female. I pray she is not being raped as we speak.”

The raven continued, “Well… I might have some information for you about the city then. First, bring in your other man. It’s not safe to be out there alone. Once inside, we can exchange intel.”

She nodded. “We’ve actually brought our killed man with us. Allow me to help my sergeant carry him to our horses first.”

A few minutes later, Gen. Reynolds and Sgt. Geraldson were standing inside the cabin with the tribal scouts.

Sam seemed the most nervous one in the room, the act of binding up viper to have him ready for the ride back was horrible, if not downright traumatizing for him. Sam sat next to the general, hands at his sides as the four of them sat around a table. Spread across it was a small map of the entire area surrounding Lightkeep.

Ruby spoke. “Do you think you could return to your tribal leaders and convince them to join forces with one another? I know we all have our differences, but these creatures are unlike any threat we’ve seen before,” she said gravely, glancing around the table at all the different species.

“That’s why I’m with this bird to begin with…” the tiger grumbled, sharpening his blade and not paying much attention to the conversation.

The Raven rolled his eyes and focused on Ruby. “The tribes have all gathered and are negotiating as we speak. A few parties have been sent to investigate, like us.”

“The tribes are uniting and we’ve acquired the intel on the sergals that we needed. So then, there’s just one thing left to do," the general finally said, turning to Sam. “Geraldson, I want you to return to the kingdom and tell them everything we’ve learned so far. I will attempt diplomacy with the sergals to get Victoria back, but you must go now so that the kingdom can prepare our forces as soon as possible. Make sure to also let them know that the tribes are already in agreement with one another that cooperation is necessary.”

Sam looked at her, appearing almost betrayed. “General! Please, you can’t send me away like this. My sisters are still in there. I have to try and find them!” Sam was so desperate for her to agree with him that he dropped to a knee and lowered his head. “Ruby, please… I volunteered for this no matter the risks…”

The other two individuals in the room looked at each other and shrugged slightly before the bird finally spoke. “Let me take your fallen comrade on one of your horse’s back to the capital. I promise to deliver your report to someone of importance, as well as see to the burial of your friend.”

Ruby was taken aback by the offer. “That is…” she said to the bird, “truly kind of you to offer. I think my sergeant and I would appreciate that greatly.” She reached into one the bags she’d left at the cabin before they’d gone off to scout the village. “Allow me to write you a letter to present to our kingdom upon your arrival. I shall also ensure you are compensated handsomely for doing this.” She withdrew a quill and a piece of parchment and began penning a note on the table.

“The fox said his sisters are in there, so… no payment is needed. But I will give you some information I hope will calm your nerves: as brutal and efficient as they are, they are going to great lengths to not hurt the women and children—most of the sergals, anyway. In fact, when I flew over to scout the city, the only destroyed buildings were the watchtowers and some other military locations. When talking to them, remember that your sisters have a good chance of being ok. The same goes for your captured soldier as well.”

When the bird finished speaking, the tiger stood and headed to the door. “You head to Kas Ragnoc’s capital, and I’ll head to the clans,” he said. “I’ll make sure everybody is on the same page.”

Ruby nodded before swiping the letter through her tail again and handing it off. “Come on, Geraldson,” the skunk said, walking out the door. “Let’s get our horses ready.”

“Thank you, ma’am!” Sam rose, feeling the most relieved he’d been since he received word about Lightkeep. He hurried outside and mounted a horse, making sure to leave the one with Viper on it for the raven.

The bird came out quickly and mounted up alongside Ruby. “General, one last thing… sergals seem to have almost a soft spot for any and all females. I don’t know how you can use that, but I’ve seen them kill a man in combat without the slightest hesitation, but go to great lengths not to badly hurt women.”

She nodded in spite of the fact that she’d just hours ago watched a female get bitten into by a sergal. If this intel is to be believed, Ruby and her party must have provoked the sergals even more severely than originally thought. “Thank you, scout,” she told the member of the bird tribe before riding off down the road toward Lightkeep, Sgt. Geraldson a short distance behind her.


	8. Reconciliation

After trotting on the main road for a while, Ruby and Sam again reached the area of their skirmish against Saber and Torrin. Instead of finding just the sergal’s body, however, they saw several figures standing over the corpse looking like they were preparing to move it.

Ruby slowed down some as the sergals came into view. She wasn’t sure what to do. Would she and her sergeant be attacked as suspects for the death? Would it be best just to continue on moving past them?

Sam looked over at Ruby, waiting for her guidance. “Well… We’re going to have to talk to them eventually, right? I know they are the enemy, but we did attack them first… Should we approach them peacefully?”

She spoke in a low voice back, “Like it or not, they can probably smell the scent that I sprayed all over that body coming from me as well. I suppose I'll have to say something…” She slowly rode her horse up to the small party of sergals, doing her best to appear non-threatening.

Sam nodded and tried his best to stay calm. Out of the four sergals, only two were in armor. The others had on common clothes. The soldiers of Kas Ragnoc could also see distinct color patterns on the differently dressed sergals. While the soldiers had white and black fur, these others were white and light blue. The soldiers saw the two and drew their weapons, ready to protect the non-armored ones. However, they made no direct attacks toward Sam and Ruby. “Halt, and state your business! You are entering newly claimed sergal land.”

“General Ruby Reynolds and Sergeant Samuel Geraldson of the kingdom of Kas Ragnoc, here to hold negotiations with the leaders of this new sergal land,” the skunk said, playing by their rules and referring to Lightkeep as now under the rule of the sergals.

The soldiers looked at each other and then came closer. When they got within five or six feet away, they stopped. “You are… the one involved in this fight?”

Ruby could tell that the soldier had sniffed her out. She panicked. “They attacked us,” she lied, not knowing yet how harshly the sergals viewed lying. “Th-there was a misunderstanding, and a fight broke out. We are sorry for your fallen soldier.”

The sergal spit on the ground after Ruby spoke. He growled, “General Saber has already informed us on what actually happened! Further lies will lead to grave consequences!”

Sam quickly spoke up. “We took casualties on both sides and you captured one of ours. We apologize for the events that took place!”

“What’s in the past is in the past,” Ruby insisted. “Though it’s regrettable, we cannot change the fact that there is now at least one dead man on each of our sides. All we wish for now is negotiations.”

“You expect this to—”

One of the other sergals wearing simple clothes walked up and put a hand on the overzealous soldier’s shoulder. “Stand down. Torrin’s body has been blessed and is ready to be burned. Take care of it while I deal with the… guests.”

The two guards huffed and turned to the dead sergal as the new one walked up to Ruby. He was tall and dressed elegantly. His fur in the front of his body was generally blue while the fur of his back was white. “My name is Johnathan of Den Scribe. Please forgive the soldiers of Den Winter for their gruffness. Though they are the largest house, they are also the most… energetic. It is a pleasure to meet you, General and Sergeant.”

Ruby nodded, “Pleasure to meet you as well.” She didn’t understand all this house-related nonsense, but she overlooked that fact for now, trusting that she’d figure it all out later. “We’d like to discuss reclaiming our captured soldier, Cpl. Victoria Wildheart, and the future of negotiations between our kingdom and yours. May we speak with your leaders?”

“You may…” There was a look in Johnathan’s eyes when Victoria was brought up. He looked away and began walking to Lightkeep. “Please follow. When we arrive, I’ll see whom I can get to meet you for negotiations. The Den Mothers are very busy, so it may take some time for you to meet them, but it will be arranged. For now, you shall be our guests in what was Lightkeep. And please, General Ruby, lying has severe consequences… Refrain from it.”

She nodded at that last statement before following the man to the city. She rode her horse at a lower speed to keep up with him.

The road to the city was quick, especially with the sergal leading them. “First though, you will have to bathe… Forgive the forcefulness of the request, but whatever you used on the general still lingers. I shall guide you to a bathhouse, then secure sleeping arrangements for the both of you.”

Ruby, albeit a little offended, obliged. She could smell her own scent and it was rather unpleasant. She figured it would only be proper to meet with high-ranking sergals following a thorough bath. She was also looking forward to getting to sleep in a bed. After all, she’d been up for nearly twenty hours now and was ready to pass out.

She turned to Sam. “Are you ok spending a night in sergal territory?” she asked him.

“Yes, ma’am, I’m actually exhausted. Though, if I can get in touch with my sisters I’d prefer to do that tonight. Can that be looked into?” Sam directed the last sentence to Johnathan, who gave a half nod. “If you obey sergal law while here, you shall be allowed to see anyone you wish. Now please dismount and let us head into the village.” He walked off to a guard at the front gate and explained the situation to him while Ruby and Sam guided their horses to the stable just outside the city.

“Are you still comfortable with this?” Ruby whispered to her sergeant as they walked alongside their horses. “I know spending a night in sergal territory isn’t what we expected, but if it’s what must be done to negotiate with them…”

“Ma’am, I’m fine. What’s done is done, and someone has to be willing to make difficult choices if there is to be understanding. I’m with you all the way.” He carefully put a paw on her shoulder and smiled. He only held it there for a moment, but it was the first time he’d touched Ruby outside the contexts of healing or sparring. “Let’s try to represent our kingdom with honor.”

Ruby nodded enthusiastically as she tied up her horse in the stable before returning to their guide. “We’re ready,” she told him, standing up straight and trying to look formal.

Johnathan nodded back, and in just a moment the gates were opened for Ruby and Sam to enter the city. The first thing they noticed was that sergals were everywhere. More surprisingly, however, they could see a good amount of the city’s original population going about their business. Things weren’t fully back to normal, but people were still working and keeping the city running. A bit more than a week had come and gone since the invasion and things had already somewhat calmed down inside the city.

Sam was surprised. He leaned in a bit closer to Ruby. “This… is strange, right? I remember reading old reports of when tribes took over areas. Things didn’t just calm down in a day, right?”

Ruby slowly nodded back. “I suspect they must be forced to maintain normalcy… This is very odd indeed.” She continued to follow Johnathan through the city, presuming they were being led to a bathhouse.

The city was being repaired where it had sustained damage. Workers built while sergals both watched and assisted. They hadn’t destroyed the city; They had occupied it. As they walked down the main street, Ruby could see the ocean. Several large sailing vessels that clearly did not belong to Kas Ragnoc filled the harbor. They were bigger than anything she’d ever seen before.

Johnathan walked the two to a lovely building that smelled of candles and incense. “Please make yourselves comfortable and bathe as you wish,” he said. “I shall find clothing and lodging for you both.” He gestured for the soldiers to enter the bathhouse.

Ruby nodded before stepping into the building. To her surprise, the changing areas were not divided into male and female. They were divided now into sergal and non-sergal. Ruby turned to her sergeant. “Um… It looks like you and I will be using the same changing room…?” she said hesitantly to Sam, walking in.

He followed in behind her, equally hesitant. “I’ll look the other way, ma’am.”

“You better,” she chuckled as she walked some distance away to get undressed herself.

He found a spot to hang his outfit up and started to strip, happy to get out of his gear. “Gods, I haven’t ridden for that long in armor before.”

“Your shoulders not used to holding that much weight?”

“No, I suppose not, ma’am… But I promise I’m just sore; It won’t slow me down or anything.” He was nude now, sitting with a towel around him and doing his best to look anywhere but behind him. “I gotta say… I’m relieved to see that most of the city is ok.”

“I am as well, but…” She tightened a towel around her chest and turned around. “It’s eerie. The citizens shouldn’t be so ok with returning to normal life following a hostile takeover. I mean, they were invaded, and you think barely two days later they’re just going back to their old jobs? I don’t believe it.” She began walking toward the bath area. “They’re being coerced. I’m sure of it.”

“Yeah… Hopefully if I can see one of my sisters they can tell me a bit more.” Seeing Ruby walk to the baths he quickly threw a towel around his waist and followed her. Inside the main bath area were dozens of sergals, all nude and bathing. They were having quiet conversations among themselves that paused for just a moment after the soldiers’ entrance but quickly resumed again. There was one smaller pool of water that had no one in it, so Sam headed to that one. “Oh my… Ma’am, please don’t get into a fight…” When Sam looked at Ruby, his half smile made it clear that he was trying to joke with her to ease his own nervousness.

“Why would I fight?” muttered Ruby through gritted teeth. “Because sergals invaded this area, instituted strict species segregation, and now are expecting me to bath in the couples’ bath?” She removed her towel before unhappily stepping into the much smaller bath made for those seeking more intimacy in their bathing. “No... Why would that piss me off at all?” she asked sarcastically as she lowered herself into the water.

“I… Yeah, best not make jokes. Sorry.” A wolf wearing worker clothes came up to the small pool and left a tray of fragrances and soap. He said nothing as he walked away. Sam sniffed the stuff and sighed blissfully. “It’s good stuff… I’ll try to give you some room.” He pressed himself into the side of the tub and started to clean himself carefully.

“And don't stare at my tits,” she warned him. She wasn’t sure if he had been, but she didn’t want to risk it. The couples’ bathwater wasn't as cloudy with soap and scents as the general bath’s water—for obvious reasons—so with a bit of peering downward it would not have been hard for Sam to view Ruby’s breasts or for Ruby to view Sam’s genitals. She began running one of the bars of soap through her fur, removing clusters of mud from it that had gotten stuck in it while she was hiding from the sergals on the ground.

“Y-yes ma’am,” Sam said shyly as he started to scrub his fur with the soap. He did peer back at Ruby, but he didn’t let his gaze linger. “The scent is already much better, ma’am.”

“Yeah…” She decided not to delay it any longer and swiped the bar of soap across the base of her tail. She lifted the soap out of the water and sniffed it to check how much musky scent had been lingering in that area. She immediately gagged before submerging it in the water again. “Not all gone, though.”

“Wow… I didn’t think your own scent would affect you so bad… Hey, General, would it be ok to ask you a personal question?” He scrubbed his own body, trying to remove as much of the scent as possible.

“Hmm…” It wasn’t usual for Ruby to tolerate intimate questions from her subordinates, but given that they were both fully nude and behind enemy lines, she figured the ‘usual’ wasn’t so important at this time. “Fine. What is it, Geraldson?”

“Why do you spray almost all of us on our first day? Is it simply so we understand you’re in charge, or is there more to it? Also, you can call me Sam if it’s easier, ma’am.” he glanced back, keeping his eyes up so he wouldn’t look at her body.

“I will be calling you Sgt. Geraldson as that is your rank and name, boy,” she told him. “As for spraying recruits… You’ve been sprayed before, haven't you?” She asked despite of course knowing.

“Yes, ma’am, I have once,” he said, slightly upset that she kept calling him boy when he wasn’t one.

“You never wanted that to happen to you again, yes? That’s why I did it. You learned just how awful it will be for you if you ever upset your general, so from then on you go out of your way never to disobey me.” She scrubbed down the length of her tail. “It’s how I instill obedience in you kids.”

He was just about to growl but he held it in. “Fine, General. I see.” He scrubbed a bit harder now just wanting to get the scent of Ruby off him.

She sensed a distaste for her methods in his tone. “Something you’d like to say, Geraldson?” she asked in a tone that suggested he ought to keep his mouth shut.

He turned and looked her dead in the eyes. “I could die at any time. One wrong move here, and you or I could be dead—or both of us, for that matter. So yeah, I have one more thing I want to know. Do you trust me?”

She nodded slowly. “As a soldier? Sure I do. You’ve proven yourself to be competent. Why?”

“Look… I get the spraying. It’s smart, honestly. Piss you off, we get to smell horrible for several days. But sometimes you just seem annoyed that you have to be a general. You say that we’re kids. I may not have the experience that you or Master Fang has, but… I’m not a child! I’ll die to defend my kingdom and family—die defending you, if it came to that.” He looked away not sure if he was about to get yelled at or hit for his little outburst. “Sorry, General…”

“Is this about calling you ‘boy’ or ‘kid’?” she asked, irritated. “I do that to emphasize that I’m ranked above you. I of course know that you’re a man. Now act like one and quit getting upset over a silly nickname!” Ruby hissed at him.

“Right… Fine.” He got out of the water and wrapped his towel around his waist again. “I’ll be waiting for you out there.” As Sam left, Ruby noticed how much quieter the rest of the room had gotten since her entering. It seemed the two of them weren’t the quietest of people and that the sergals in the room were quite interested in overhearing the drama between the skunk and fox. They all looked away as Sam left the room.

Sam found that Johnathan had left clothes for both himself and Ruby in the changing room. He started getting dressed.

Ruby left the baths not long after her subordinate did. She felt uneasy in the room with all the sergals, and doubted she could remove any more of her scent than she already had. She stood up, quickly wrapped her towel around her chest, and made it to the changing room just as Sam was on his way out.

Sam stood by the exit watching her come in, silently waiting for his general to get ready. He held his armor in a handy roll at his side as he wore the comfortable—albeit simple—clothing the sergals had provided.

“Johnathan is waiting outside, General. He must’ve found us a place to sleep.”

Ruby looked displeased as she approached her new set of clean clothes. “I’m a general,” she said. “I’m supposed to wear a general’s uniform.” As she neared the clothes she’d changed out of, however, she recoiled. It stunk more badly of her spray than her rear did, as she’d sprayed through her pants at the enemy sergals.

“We probably aren’t meeting anyone important tonight. Let’s get your other clothes cleaned and get some rest.” Sam still stood by the door watching looking in Ruby’s direction but not directly at her.

“Fair enough,” Ruby said, starting to change into her new set of clothes. They were a bit big on her, but she had to admit they were exceptionally comfortable. “These’ll just be my pajamas then.” Carrying her foul-smelling uniform, she walked to the exit of the bathhouse.

Sam fell in beside her, not talking and instead focusing on their surroundings. The sergal known as Johnathan was waiting for them. Seeing the two carrying their clothes, he gestured for a leopard beside him to take them. “Your clothes shall be cleaned while you sleep and be returned to you in the morning, if that is alright with you two.”

Ruby hardly cared anymore. She’d been getting more and more tired by the second. She handed off her clothes to the leopard with an apology for the smell before turning back to their guide. “Where will we be sleeping?” she asked Johnathan.

“It’s close, and by the look of it you could both use some rest.” He turned and led the two down several streets before arriving at a well kempt-looking single-story home. “Please make yourselves comfortable. I shall return your equipment to you in the morning.” Johnathan respectfully bowed very low as Sam entered first to make sure it’s safe.

Ruby gave a tired semi-salute to their guide before she stepped inside. It was just one story, so she figured that one of them would get to sleep on the bed while the other would have to sleep on the couch. What she found upon looking around the dark house, however, was that there was no couch. There was just one bed. “Did they… think we were a couple?” Ruby asked Sam.

Sam just sighed. “Just… take the bed, General. I’ll sleep on the floor, don’t worry about it.” He grabbed a pillow and looked around for a spot that wouldn’t mess up his back. He didn’t want to argue with or be a bother to Ruby.

“No, no…” Ruby sighed. “We don’t want you having a sore back in tomorrow’s meeting. C’mon, just don’t sleep too close to me.” She walked over to the bed, lifted the covers, and lay down.

“R-right, General…” he laid on his side, facing away from her but his tail rubbed against hers. “Good night.” He suddenly didn’t feel as tired, but he forced himself to focus on trying to calm his tail down.

Ruby was ready to immediately fall asleep, but she found herself getting annoyed by the brushing up against her. “Geraldson,” she whispered, “could you please quit wagging your tail?”

“Forgive me, ma’am ” He grabbed his tail and tucked it between his legs. He didn’t know why he couldn’t calm himself, but he desperately didn’t want to piss Ruby off.

“Thank you,” she said before shutting her eyes again and starting to drift off to sleep.

As Ruby was sleeping, she’d unconsciously turned to her side and held on to the nearest soft thing, which happened to be Sam’s torso. Over the years, she’d learned she’s a very affectionate sleeper, so on the nights she didn’t have a guest over with her she usually had to hug a pillow before she could comfortably fall asleep. It appeared that she’d now done this with the younger fox, even if she wasn’t consciously aware of the fact.

Sam had just about fallen asleep when he felt the soft fingers move over his side. He stayed calm and slowly turned to see if she was sleeping, being careful with his movements so she wouldn’t pull her arm away.

The loud snore that came from the skunk proved that she was indeed asleep. She stayed exactly how she was, occasionally flexing her claws, which Sam would feel gently scrape against his skin.

“Aah…” He rather enjoyed the scratches as he turned onto his back and watched her scratch and pull herself closer. He didn’t know Ruby was such an active sleeper. He lifted his arm and scooted closer, letting her cling to him as he smiled despite the possible danger of the situation.

Ruby stayed roughly the same as she was. After her body had found a comfortable way to lie, she didn’t make any large movements, though she would occasionally give a small kick or a jerk of her paws.

Sam smiled and let himself be loosely held by her. He decided that if there was hell to pay, he’d pay it tomorrow. He started to get tired again and rested his head on her as he slept against her, gently rubbing and scratching slightly her as he drifted off.

The sleeping skunk didn’t seem to like it as she was scratched, jerking slightly and groaning in her sleep.

Sam noticed the light jerking and held her closer to him, trying to make her comfortable. He made soft woofs in his semi-sleep as his dreams took over.

Some combination of the barking and the holding slowly woke the skunk until she was conscious enough to recognize that she was being held in her sleep by the young sergeant. “Sam?” She pushed herself away from him. “What the hell?!”

He groggily woke up and looked around. “What! What happened? Is it time to go?” He looked at her and then remembered. “Oh, uh… Hey there, General…”

“You were holding me in my sleep,” she said impatiently, a nasty expression on her face and her hair already a mess despite how little she’d slept.

“Well, no. You started to climb all over me and I just made sure you were comfortable.” He gulped. Even though it was the truth, he was a bit worried about her reaction. “I didn’t do anything to you, Ruby. I just wanted you to be comfortable…”

She sighed. The general could tell by his expression that he meant it. “Fine. I do have a nasty habit of hugging things in my sleep. If I do it again just wake me up. Understood?”

“O-oh… Ok, um, sure. Of course…” He quickly turned so she couldn’t see his blushing face and curled up. “Goodnight!”

“Goodni— You’re wagging your tail again!”

“No I’m not!” He grabbed it quickly and tried to pretend he was asleep.

With an annoyed grunt, Ruby rolled away from the fox and tried to fall asleep again.

Sam felt like a huge idiot, but despite this, he was still slightly smiling. Her scent was still on him and he had to admit that it calmed him down a bit. He hoped she didn’t mind that his scent was getting all over her.

Slowly, the skunk found herself drifting off to sleep again, and Sam soon followed.


	9. Morning in Lightkeep

Victoria rolled over in bed. It was a new day now, evidenced by the light shining in through the curtains. Perhaps this was the day she’d get her freedom. As silently as she could, she lifted her covers, stood up out of bed, and walked out of the room.

Once she opened the door she could see that the rest of the house wasn’t that big. The room directly across the hall was open, and inside was a large map. She heard movement coming from the kitchen down the hall and could smell coffee.

She could tell that her captor Lucian had been there recently, but that he was not in front of her at this exact moment. Taking this opportunity, she lunged for the front door. When she turned the handle, however, it didn’t budge. The door was locked. Worse yet, it made a loud rattling sound as she attempted to turn the handle.

She could hear the loud sigh of disappointment as the sergal rounded the corner, still not wearing armor and with two cups of coffee in his hands. “’Morning, Miss Victoria. I see you slept well…”

“As well as I can without the tips of three of my fingers,” she replied, irritated. “When do I leave?”

“Gods of old, can you relax?” He was frustrated with her apparent attitude. He seemed almost confused by it. “Please, just… come sit.” He led the way into the kitchen and sat at the table, setting down your coffee as well. Fresh bandages were laid out and ready for Victoria to use them.

Hesitant, the cat walked closer to the table, though she refused to sit just yet. She looked at her paws. She had indeed bled through her bandages and would need to replace them, though she dreaded what she would see as she did so. She would have to, for the first time, look at her middle, ring, and pinkie fingers without anything from the third knuckle down. She wasn’t sure she was mentally prepared for it, and she definitely didn’t want to cry right in front of the man who had done it to her.

“What we are about to discuss is very, very important. And as much as it might not seem like it, I wish no further harm to you… Several things happened last night while you slept. Would you please be seated?” He was very calm-spoken, clearly not wanting any further anger or pain to come to the young corporal.

Victoria did slowly take a seat. She presumed this would be news about some sort of escalation between the sergals and her home kingdom, so she was quite interested in listening.

He carefully took her wrist and started to unwrap your bandages. When it was completely unwrapped, he forced himself to look at what he’d done to her. The bone was only just still visible. He started to wash and clean the wound before getting ready to wrap them again. “I didn’t want to start talking while I tended to this. I hope you don’t mind.”

Finally, after several seconds of keeping her gaze up and her eyes closed, Victoria allowed herself to look at her paw. It was just as gruesome as she expected. The tips of the three fingers were a mess of blood, but it was a very clear fact that they stopped far short of the remaining pointer finger’s length. She felt herself getting choked up as she reflected on the fact that those fingers would never again be complete, and that was a consequence—albeit a harsh one—of her own actions. It was too late. She began crying.

He had expected this reaction, though until that moment he hadn’t fully decided what to do about it. The Den Mothers wanted law enforced to the letter. Though Victoria had been in the wrong, he wondered if this was right. At the very least, he was thankful he hadn’t taken off her whole hand.

Lucian was still holding her as he handed her a handkerchief for the tears. “Take your time. I know how difficult it is to see the first time.”

She took the handkerchief and gently dabbed at her face. “Just tell me already,” she said, still crying. “What’s the news from last night?”

“General Ruby and Sergeant Sam are here in the city.” He spoke as he began to add new bandages. They were dipped in a sort of liquid that smelled clean and upon contact with her wounds numbed the pain slightly.

Victoria gasped. A smile spread across her face—the very first one Lucian had seen on her. “And they’ve come to take me home?” she presumed.

Her hand finally was completely wrapped in fresh bandages again and Lucian took a sip of his coffee. “I… Yes, I suppose so. Although, they came under the wish to speak to someone in charge about negotiations.” There was a visible change in the sergal when the girl smiled. He had to direct his gaze at his drink for a second. “Please drink. You still need to make sure you’re drinking lots.”

“Fine.” She took a long sip of the coffee prepared for her. Though she hated the taste, the smell reminded her—in an odd way—of Ruby, whom she desperately missed right now. “When do I get to see my general again?”

He could instantly see she wasn’t a fan and chuckled softly. “You could be honest and say you don’t like it. And I need your help before you can see her. I need to know that this is… not a trap.”

“Why would she lure you into a trap?” Victoria asked. “How could she pull off a trap when so far behind enemy lines? I’m sure she just wants to negotiate for me so we can go home.”

“No, no… Not for me; For the Den Mother she would be meeting. My life is nothing of importance compared to a Den Mother. And from what Saber told me, your general is a feisty warrior, yes?” Lucian was doing everything he could to show that he needed Tori on his side, because he did.

“She can be, sure,” Victoria admitted. “Why do you still need these Den Mothers anyway if you now have females of other species to mate with?”

He sighed and looked to his private war room and stood up. “Follow me. I’ll tell you everything I can.” He made his way into the cozy study and lit a candle. The map on the central was full of information on troops, ships, current prisoners, new additions to the sergals' society, as well as a numbered list of sergal females. There were only ten in total.

“Ok…” she said slowly before standing up and following him, leaving her coffee on the table. She noticed then that she’d had a headache pretty much every waking moment since her party’s fight with Saber and Torrin. It seemed blood loss had triggered it, and the volume of blood lost had only increased since then. She placed her hands to her temples and winced as another burst of aching racked her head.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Still feeling out of it? Please sit in my chair. Go slow for me, please.” He pulled out the chair at the table and let her sit, trying his best to take care of her.

“I’m fine,” Tori insisted, refusing to sit down. She hadn’t even realized that she’d started to rub the sides of her head. “Just, tell me about this Den Mothers stuff already.”

“Ok, ok, fair enough.” He gestured to the ten names. “Those are currently the ten ruling—and only—females out of all our people. They have divine and complete authority over all. Sergal males are able to sleep with any species and have a sergal child. Unfortunately… the male sergal gene is so strong that there is just a one in a thousand chance that the baby is female.”

She nodded. “And what's so special about sergal females?” As she realized something, Victoria then pointed to the names. “Wait… surely not all of these females are here in Lightkeep. The town was only made for 500. How many of the females are still in your old kingdom?”

“Three. But… the House they represent is the reason we are here, though it might not be best to speak of it. The Mothers are stronger, faster, bigger, and more powerful than us. They are perfect, and we will do all we can to protect them… As for the 7 that are here, two rule House Winter, two rule House Scribe, and three rule my house, House Red.”

“That’s why you’re called Lucian Red,” she muttered, nodding. “Well, why are you telling me all this?”

“Because I want you to understand why we are here—why we are on the run from House Black, and why we sergals are the ones that need your help. I get that we are strange and brutal, but we needed to move to this location quickly… to protect our Mothers.”

She thought over his words. They sounded almost reasonable when explained like this, but they still didn’t excuse their ways. “You still didn’t need to violently take control of an entire town…” she said. “You could have…” She seriously thought over the options the sergals would have had at that time. They could beg Kas Ragnoc for refuge in their kingdom, but this would mean finding somewhere for all the sergals to live. But why would the kingdom do that for them? It’s not like the sergals had the money to pay taxes to the king or buy food for themselves. Taking the foreign species in would essentially have been an act of charity. The sergals’ actions were slowly starting to make sense to the snow leopard, even if they were brutal.

“Time is not on our side, I’m afraid… If we hadn’t left when we did, we would most likely be dead right now. This was House Black’s next area they had planned on marching to. We took their best ships and took this place first. If we hadn’t.. an army would be marching across your kingdom right now. They would have taken all your women, regardless of whether they wanted it or not, and would’ve killed everyone else. Taking this city gives us all a chance to plan.”

“But…” Victoria sighed. She wanted to disagree more, but nearly everything he’d said made sense in this context. “Fine,” she finally said. “Why do you need me at this meeting with Ruby?”

“It will be much easier for her to believe you than us… Despite the punishment, I hope you can see that we do not intend on causing you harm. I’ve told you everything you wish to know, now you can tell it to your general.”

She didn’t seem happy when her declawing was brought up again, but she nodded. “Take me to the meeting and I’ll do what I can.”

“You feel you are ready now? If so, you could meet with the Mother of House Red before your general.”

She gripped her head again. “Do you have medicine? I have… the worst headache. I fear I could be losing too much blood.”

“Of course. Feel free to look over any notes that you wish.” He walked away quickly to the kitchen where she could hear him making something. One thing was very clear to Victoria: sergals were emotional creatures. Whether it was worry, sadness, or anger, when they felt something, it seemed to completely take over them.

Victoria began looking over some of the information, but she found it harder and harder to focus as her vision blurred.

While in the kitchen, Lucian heard the sound of a limp body collapsing to the floor in the adjacent room.

“Victoria? Victoria!” He ran back into the room and saw her limp body on the ground. He cursed as he lifted her in his arms. “I hope you’re ready… I’m taking you to the Mother now!”

———

Ruby would remain asleep as her sergeant slowly awoke just to her big, bushy tail draped across his chest and face.

Sam has never touched a skunk tail before and couldn’t help but give a small pat that turned into a gentle pet. The tail was more coarse than he’d expected judging by how fluffy it looked, but it still wasn’t unpleasant to the touch. “Ma’am? I think it’s time to wake up. You’re on me again, but it’s ok!”

The general slowly awoke. “Hmm?” Realizing what he’d said, she yanked her tail back onto her side of the bed. “Morning, Geraldson…” she said groggily, not feeling like she’d gotten quite enough sleep.

He got up rather quickly and went to a wash bowl to clean his face to calm himself down and wake up fully. “I know it’s early, but I really hope we can get going. I still need to find my sisters and we need to find Victoria.”

“Right, of course,” she said, sitting up. As she looked around the room, she found her cleaned clothes had been dropped off just inside the door. She walked over to them.

“Damn, they’re quiet! I didn’t hear them come in.” He stripped down naked and started to put on his cleaned clothes, not minding that Ruby was in the room.

As Ruby bent down to pick up her change of clothes, the smell of her own spray hit her some. It was slight, however. They must have gotten one of the original Lightkeepers to do this laundry, she thought. No way sergals knew all the tricks behind removing skunk smell as thoroughly as this. She too changed out of her sleeping clothes and started to get dressed.

Sam stood at attention by the door and checked outside. Johnathan, though looking a bit bored, was there already. He gave a small smile and wave at Sam, who awkwardly waved back before turning to Ruby. “Well, looks like our sergal guide is here…”

“Gods, has he been there all morning?” Ruby asked as she slipped her uniform on over her bra, still bottomless.

“Would you like me to go ask? I’d like to have a word with him about my family, if that’s alright.”

She nodded. “That’s fine, go ahead.” She began throwing on her clean pair of pants.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Ruby watched as Sam walked out. Even after getting dressed and washing her face to freshen up, she noticed that Sam still hadn’t returned. Then, several minutes later, a very bright-eyed fox walked in. “They are ok! My sisters! He says that there are two foxes working at the church just like I described. He sent someone to let them know I’m here!” In his excitement, he almost hugged the general, stopping himself just short and awkwardly laughing it off. “S-sorry, ma’am… I’m just—Oh, you don’t know how relieved I am! Thank you for letting me come with you, ma’am.”

She gave a small smile back to the man. She was genuinely relieved for Sam to have gotten the confirmation that his sisters were ok. In a rare display of kindness, she held out her arms for him to hug her. “C’mon. That’s great news!”

He didn’t take the gesture lightly. Sam hugged her hard, giving her a little spin. “When we get some R&R I’m buying you all the drinks you can handle!”

“Alright, put me down,” she said in a slightly firmer tone as he tried to spin her. Although short, she was a little heavier than one might expect. Sam, as ordered, set her down on the floor again. “Let’s focus on recovering Victoria first before we plan anything like drinks. I’m still worried about her.”

“You’re right, I’m getting ahead of myself… Johnathan said whenever we’re ready he’ll take us to the Den Mother of House Red. I’m ready when you are.” He handed the skunk her dagger and smiled.

She examined her outfit for a moment. “I’m ready, but… is bringing a weapon to negotiations such a good idea?”

“I asked to be sure, and he said that it is customary at negotiations to allow the visitors their weapons until they enter the official meeting with the Den Mother,” Sam said, slipping his sword into his side sheath.

“Huh,” she said, tucking the knife into her boot, “alright then. Shall we get going?” She stood at the front door. Sam nodded, and Ruby pushed open the door.


	10. Mother Vivian

Their sergal guide approached Ruby and Sam, bowing in respect. “Good morning, General. I hope you slept well. The walk to where Mother Red is staying is only a few minutes. If you will follow me I shall take us there with haste.” He turned and started walking down the street, his long legs making the other two need to walk at a fast pace.

She nodded before following the sergal down the street. Ruby couldn’t help but notice as she walked by stores and restaurants that they seemed to be run by a myriad of species, yet the customers almost always were sergals. It was as if sergals were using all other species as their slaves.

“What is it, ma’am? You have that look like something is wrong.” Sam tried to talk quietly enough for just her to hear.

Ruby was silent for a moment, then said, “This town used to hold people of all species… Now it’s a town for the sergals. All else are forced to serve them. It’s hideous.”

Sam looked around and saw a very different picture. Having grown up there, he was familiar with the town’s issue of everyone working but with no one to work for. There could be full kitchens, but only the same dozen regulars would come to eat. When he looked around, Sgt. Geraldson saw sergal soldiers eating their fill and paying. He did admit that the money that they paid with seemed to be different, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He explained to her what he saw, “Ma’am this might not be that bad… If we can make them a part of us, or even just an ally… Lightkeep may become the most profitable city in the entire kingdom.”

She sighed. “Perhaps, if we can convert their ravenous lust for battle into a ravenous lust for defending the kingdom and contributing to the economy… But that’s not for me to decide. I’m just here to scout.” They seemed to be reaching their destination.

Johnathan stopped and turned once he reached the door to a massive tent that was set up just off the beach. There were dozens of them, but this one had a red banner beside it. “Inside you will find Den Mother Vivian Red. If I could hold on to your weapons here, they shall be returned to you promptly after your meeting.”

Ruby reached down, pulled her knife from the ankle of her boot, and placed it into their guide’s hand. “Is there… anything we should know before going in there? Certain manners we should uphold?”

“Ah, yes. Well, I imagine that the same way you’d treat your royalty would be fine here. Don’t interrupt when she speaks, but don’t be afraid to make a point. We sergals admire strength, but it’s important to know when to speak your point firmly and when to back off. Any small errors in customs you make will be overlooked.” He pulled the tent flap up and a well-lit, beautiful room filled with weapons, armor, maps, and priceless trinkets. In the very back, lying on a massive bed-like throne, was Vivian Red. Her smile was wide and her white teeth were gleaming. Her ears curled up like horns that formed almost a crown on her head. “Enter, my interesting guests… Enter.” She was massive—at least a foot taller than any male and her tail twice as long. She was both beautiful and deadly all at once.

Ruby was intimidated the second she saw her. This was a woman she certainly wouldn’t have minded spending a night with back at home, but she had to disregard those feelings for the time being. She stepped a little deeper into the tent, then bowed. “Greetings, Den Mother,” the skunk said, not quite sure how else to address the grand woman. “I am General Ruby Reynolds and this is Sergeant Samuel Geraldson. We come in peace to participate in negotiations.”

“Ah, negotiations… But that is not why you set out from Kas Ragnoc, now is it? You were to be scouts for your king yes?” She let the ‘s’ sound of her final word draw out slightly but was still smiling. “You, General… may call me Vivian. You, I indeed like. You gave the one named General Saber quite the fight, I hear!”

Ruby smiled as she was told that the woman liked her, but bowed her head as she was reminded of the lethal battle. “I ask your forgiveness for the skirmish with General Saber, Den Mother Vivian,” Ruby said. “I let my emotions get the better of me, and I initiated the fight. I hope we can all move past that now.”

She was staring at the skunk, very intently judging her every action. Ruby felt an aura around her that seemed to almost pull her in to the sergal, but then it passed. “Strong-willed, polite, powerful…” Ruby’s fur stood up as Vivian slowly spoke every word.

Sam was trying not to stare, but when he felt that pull he gritted his teeth and muttered, “M-magic…?” 

Vivian laughed. “Oh my! The young man knows something about this… Ooh, you have power, too… Oh, how I wish one of you had been captured and not your… companion…” she sounded very displeased about Victoria. Sam looked at his general and gulped, but didn’t dare speak up.

“You’re talking about Cpl. Victoria,” Ruby said in an almost accusatory tone. “Where is she? She is the primary reason we’re here to negotiate, though we can also carry a message back to the kingdom about future negotiations with our leaders.”

“You should’ve trained your corporal to have better manners. She threatened and drew blood from Saber’s mate. Sergal blood was spilled even though we had healed her and made it clear to her that our rules are meant to be followed… And we sergals follow our laws to the letter!”

Ruby took a step closer. “She’s a young lady dragged behind enemy lines!” she raised her voice for the first time in the meeting. “I’m sure she was just scared! What did you do to her?”

“What was right, and yet, still less than she deserved. She lied several times, but we took mercy on her. She’s on her—”

Loud, running footsteps approached the tent before commander Lucian tore through, holding the unconscious Victoria. “Mother Red, please. She needs your aid. She fell unconscious.”

“Dammit, Commander! You were trusted to help her recover! Bring her before me. Now!” She looked furious at the commander then turned to Ruby. “This is not how it was supposed to happen.”

Ruby seemed to be the only one more furious than the Den Mother. She could pick up on the bloody bandages around her hand, but she couldn’t see much more from her angle. Still, she could be certain it was her corporal who’d just been carried into the tent. The light gray fur with darker spots made it obvious. “What did you do to her?!” Ruby raised her tail, no doubt striking fear into Sam right behind her.

“Be silent! I must focus on doing what the commander wasn’t!” Her tail coiled and uncoiled as she stood and knelt before Victoria. Vivian placed a large hand over Tori’s head and started to chant. A soft, green glow flowed from her hand and into the wounded soldier, who soon started to stir. “I should have taken her into my own care immediately after you had finished, Lucian… You shouldn’t have tried to heal her yourself”

“Forgive me, Den Mother… I only wished to make right her suffering.”

Vivian looked at Ruby. “Come to your comrade. She is waking up…”

Ruby walked over slowly, still pissed off as signaled by the position of her tail high in the air. She needed to inquire about what had happened to the girl’s hand, but she stayed silent as recommended for the time being. The rays of green light shone on Ruby’s face as she neared the scene.

Vivian pulled her hand away with a grunt of effort and Victoria bolted up. The commander held her, his expression worried but happy to see her up again. Vivian took a step back and draped herself over her bed. “What an eventful morning…”

“Where am I?” Victoria asked panickedly. “I was just in…”—she turned to Lucian Red—“your house. Where am…” She sniffed the air and could smell her general. “R-Ruby!” she said excitedly.

“Calm down, Victoria. I’m here…” Ruby moved a bit closer.

The commander, once he was sure she was sitting up, moved back slightly, not wanting to upset anyone. “You passed out in the study… I told you to drink more. I-I should have done more. I’m sorry. I brought you here to the Den Mother for healing. Your companions are here, as you can see.”

The Den Mother tapped her on the shoulder with her long tail. “Hello there, little one…”

“Who the hell are you…” Victoria muttered, backing away from the large female sergal.

“Victoria!” Ruby hissed. “Manners! She’s their royalty.”

The Den Mother’s eyes flared for a second, but Ruby’s scolding seemed to calm her. “Yes, I am Den Mother Vivian Red… and I just healed you.”

“Well… thanks a lot,” Victoria said in a tone that suggested she wasn’t really all that thankful. She was glad though that her pounding headache was gone, and her fingers ached a little less.

“Victoria, what did they do to you?” Ruby repeated her question, looking up at the Den Mother and the man who’d carried the leopard into the tent.

“Tell her what happened, little kitty. Tell her what you did to one of my citizens and how we responded to your attack,” Vivian said, giving the snow leopard the same tone of voice.

Victoria sighed. “After the fight, that Saber guy took me back to his house, where he let me roam freely with his mate. I tried to escape the town using his mate as a hostage—I never wanted to hurt her, by the way,” she directed that to the sergals in the room. “I was knocked unconscious, and when I woke up I was chained to a wall. Then, he…” She couldn’t speak anymore. She was crying as she retold the traumatic story. The cat did manage however to hold up her paw and show that the tips of three of her three fingers were bandaged, bloody, and about an inch shorter than they ought to be.

“You  _ declawed _ her?!” Ruby inferred, growling at the male sergal. She couldn’t believe it. Claws were one of the few things leopards had to defend themselves, and these sergals had taken three of those away from her.

“Yes I did… The original punishment ordered by our general was the loss of her hand. She still has two fingers, and her dominant hand as well…” the commander said, but even he seemed to feel bad.

Vivian let her cry. “She will live. She is a warrior. She has also been absolved of her crimes and will no longer be seen as a criminal. Now… Commander, did you at least fill her in on why we had to take this city?”

“Yes, he told me,” Victoria answered for the male, still crying softly.

Ruby was still furious that someone would do this to one of her soldiers. These were three claws Victoria would never get back. The skunk’s tail was still aloft, and she just wanted to get out before her anger got the better of her and she sprayed someone and caused yet another diplomatic incident. “Is there anything else to discuss?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“Yes. The House Black sergals, known as the death-bringers, will be on their way to kill everyone in this entire kingdom. We have to start preparing for war, and soon.” She looked at Lucian. “You will travel with them and speak to their leaders on my behalf. I expect you to do better than you did with… Victoria.” She glanced at Victoria and waved at a guard. He carried over an ornate, metal gauntlet. It was designed for a sergal, but modified to suit a leopard. It was designed specially for her three missing fingers. The Den Mother took it and stood. She walked over and crouched down to the crying leopard and offered it to her. “Pain… makes us stronger. And I sense much strength in you already. One day, you will not cry but laugh at your new strength!”

Victoria wanted to spit at the large woman, but was nearly certain she’d be killed if she did. She ungratefully accepted the gauntlet from the Den Mother.

“Wait, we have to take this guy with us?” Ruby asked. “We weren’t expecting to have to escort someone home with us.”

“The commander has information and will tell your people everything that I could.” Vivian wasn’t looking at anyone but Victoria. “I want a moment alone with this one. Then you’ll all be free to leave.”

Ruby was just about to say something along the lines of ‘Anything you say to her you can say in front of me’, but she ultimately decided against it. Alongside Sam and Lucian Red, she walked to the exit of the tent.

Victoria was intimidated to be alone in the presence of one of these ‘Den Mothers’. “D-did you need me for something, Miss?” she asked once they were all alone.

“Perhaps… Stand up for me, lovely. Let me get a good look at you.” Vivian was smirking a bit, her mood changing now that they were one-on-one. “I promise not to harm or touch you… unless you want me to. Now, please. Stand.”

Shakily at first, Victoria stood up. She was still amazed by just how much of her pain had been eliminated by the simple healing spell from the Den Mother.

“You are… interesting. Tell me, dear, did you really think you could have escaped last night?” She stood and started to walk around her, a wide smile on her lips. Her long tail was long enough to almost completely form a circle around the spot where Victoria stood.

She nodded at first… then shook her head no. “I thought I would be taken as a sex slave. I was telling myself ‘either you escape now, or you die trying’. I… really was not expecting this third option to happen.” She held up her left paw and again examined the mutilated fingers. Since it had happened, it seemed like she couldn’t stop checking them out. She gulped as she noticed the tail had encircled her body like a snake.

“Sex slave or death… and you were willing to die! To keep your dignity and honor—is that it?” When she spoke there was a hot sensuality to it that was hard to ignore. The massive sergal woman had to lean down when she spoke, her chest brushing against Tori’s back.

“I-I suppose that was why I did it,” she said. “As well as to avoid the brutality and humiliation of being raped…” She tried to face forward and stand still as she was encircled by the sergal leader.

“Do I make you afraid? Possibly excited, like your general? What do you feel with me talking to you like this? It’s ok if it’s not something polite you have to say. I just wanna hear you say it. Let it be between us girls.” As she said that, she walked in front of Victoria, lifting her chin just slightly with her long fingers.

She chuckled, misinterpreting the woman’s words. “I am most certainly  _ not _ excited by my general,” she said. “And while I mean no disrespect, Den Mother, I am attracted to men, not women.” She said this with confidence despite her lack of experience with either sex.

She let her head roll back in a loud laugh that was loud enough to be heard even by Ruby outside. “I mean as excited as your general was in my presence. She both wanted to strike me and… Well, I’m sure you can imagine what a woman like that would do.” She was grinning, delightfully thinking a raunchy thought about General Ruby before looking back to the sergeant before her. “I can heal your hand, Victoria… Fingers and claws.” Her statement was blunt, but sincere. She sat on her bed and waited for the girl to respond.

“Oh, no thank you,” Victoria declined, again misinterpreting the words. “I can hardly feel the pain now. I doubt it gets much better than this.”

“I can undo what was done—give you a hand again. All fingers and claws. No more discomfort or tears.” The Den Mother stretched and smugly smiled a bit, mostly because she wanted to see Victoria all excited.

She gasped, smiling. “No… Can you really? I had no idea magic was that strong… What do I need to do for you?”

“I could tell you, but that would be less exciting. The most difficult thing you’d have to do is simply drink this.” Raising her own wrist to her mouth, Vivian bit into her arm, drawing blood and then grabbing a very beautiful wine glass and letting her blood fill up only the very bottom before she licked her wound clean. “Drink this, and I shall heal you beyond your former glory and power!”

The snow leopard gasped again as she watched the woman bite holes into her own arm and almost immediately draw blood. She was amazed. It was as if the sergal didn’t even flinch as she did so. Still, she felt uneasy about the idea of drinking another person’s blood. She gave the Den Mother an uncomfortable look. “This will… regrow my claws?” she asked.

“No… but if you do this,  _ I _ will regrow your claws. This is what I’m asking you to do for me. So I ask you, lovely little leopard… will you take my blood?”

She looked at the wine glass. “If I drink your blood, you will give me my claws back?” She gently accepted the glass from the sergal. “Is this safe?”

“The blood has a purpose. I will give you back your claws good as new if you do it for me.” She smirked when Victoria asked if it was safe. “Mostly safe… Drink it. Have faith.”

She looked at it. Despite all her earlier obstinance, she’d feel guilty if the lady drew her blood and Victoria turned down drinking it. She slowly raised it to her lips, tilted the glass up, and let some of the crimson fluid flow into her mouth. After drinking the equivalent of maybe a few drops of it, she lowered it again. “Is that enough?” Though she wasn’t thrilled about having to do this to reclaim her claws, the carnivore side of her did have to admit the blood tasted delicious.

She felt a cold feeling accompanying the warmth of the blood as it went down. In her mind she heard Vivian speak. ‘Ooh, you know it’s good… I’ve had men fight for a drop of my blood. Go on and finish.’ Though Victoria heard the voice, she had been looking at Vivian. Her mouth didn’t move at all.

Victoria thought she was hallucinating. She knew the sergal couldn’t have tainted the blood with any sort of sedative. After all, she’d watched with her own eyes as the blood poured out of her. Still, she was questioning her decision.

The choice was made for her, however, as the other woman’s paw pressed up on the bottom of the glass, forcing more of it to flow into Victoria’s mouth. She stopped fighting it and opened her mouth wider to drink until the glass was empty.

Right as she finished, Vivian started to chant, gripping her wounded hand by the wrist. With so much happening at once it was hard to focus. After a blinding flash and a rough pull, Victoria opened her eyes to see that she was on the sergal’s lap. She felt the fading feeling of lips on hers and Vivian smirked. “Look at that hand for me…”

Victoria was bewildered. She had no idea what had just happened. Why was she in Vivian’s lap? Had the two of them just kissed? Eager to leave this situation and check on the state of her paw, she began quickly unwrapping the bandages from her hand.

Vivian was still smirking. Victoria didn’t understand, but drinking her blood allowed the Den Mother to bond herself to her—able to talk and possibly control her. No one could know the consequences of this in the long run, but the Den Mother was sure Victoria would be fine.

As the bandages came off, Victoria could see that her fingers were indeed back to normal. “Usually when one gets a second chance like this, they say thank you,” she said laughing and still keeping her on her lap.

“Th… thank you, Mother Vivian,” Victoria said gratefully. “I—I can’t believe…” she trailed off, unable to find the words. “Just… Thank you so much. Thank you.”

“You earned this. I would like to think we are even now. And yes, you did hear me in your head. I will, in a way, be with you.” She stood up. Seeing how easy it was for her to pick Tori up and set her down was a bit impressive. She set her down next to the door and whispered, “Give that skunk a kiss for me sometime soon. You may leave, but I will be checking up on you.”

“Th-this wasn’t part of the deal!” Victoria insisted, upset a piece of the sergal was now permanently inside her. “You hadn’t said anything about this! This isn’t fair!” She refused to leave the tent just yet.

Vivian spoke low and calmly. “Restoring you to your former self has a few benefits I didn’t mention—no harms. You’re going to notice that you are stronger, faster. You are communicating with one of the most powerful women alive. But since I was a bit sneaky, I will even do you one more favor and tell you this: When you visit me again, as I’m sure you will… if you wish me out of your head, I shall allow it. You will still, of course, keep the hand no matter what you choose. I am not cruel after all!” She smiled and waited for Victoria to speak.

Victoria tried to speak, but she didn’t have anything to say. They were so close now to the opening of the tent. She didn’t want others to hear what a freak she now was—that she now had another woman living inside her head, and that she was to experience some sort of benefit from that fact. She decided then and there to just fight off the Den Mother’s attempts to control her. Then, next time she met Mother Vivian, she would finally order the sergal out of her head.

The leopard nodded and pushed open the flap to the tent, leaving the woman without another word. She joined up with Ruby and Sam again, who immediately noticed her regained paw.

“Victoria!” Ruby exclaimed. “Y-your hand!”

The commander looked taken aback at how it could’ve happened. The whole time he had been outside Ruby had been on him about what he had done to Victoria. He looked to the tent and finally put together what happened, but kept his mouth shut about it.

Sam looked ecstatic. “Wow! That’s amazing!”

Even Victoria was admiring the miracle.

“How did you do that?” Ruby asked.

“She just… healed me,” she said, intentionally leaving out her ingestion of blood.

Despite the regrowth of her paw, Victoria seemed less than thrilled, and Ruby picked up on that. For the time being, however, the skunk just blamed it on shock.

Sam spoke up. “Ma’am, I’m grateful everything went… ‘well’, but with your permission, I’d like to stay here. I want to check in on my family, and then I can report anything else I discover here to you either when I make my way back or when you return.” Sam was standing straight, looking to his general with a bit of hopefulness in his eyes.

She looked at Sam as if he were crazy. “You want to stay in a town where you’re a second-class citizen?” she asked. “Are you out of your mind?”

The commander sergal spoke up a bit. “He’s not a second class citizen. No one here is. We have integrated with the citizens, and now live with only a few changes. I assure you, General Ruby, he will be fine here…”

Sam let him speak then looked back to Ruby. “See, ma’am? It’s ok. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

Ruby still wasn't convinced that all other species were treated equal to the sergals—the signs in the bathhouse were evidence enough of that—but she also trusted the sergeant’s judgment. She knew that if he felt like he could take care of himself in the occupied town, he must be able to.

General Ruby sighed. “Are you sure, Geraldson?” she asked him seriously. “This will count as family leave, so you won’t be paid for this time. Are you sure that’s what’s best for you and your sisters?”

He smiled. “Can’t we put this down as… ‘advanced scouting’ in a currently occupied city?” Sam asked playfully before giving a low bow. “I believe it is what’s best. I do intend to investigate while I’m here, but I have to see my family. I will be able to meet you again in just a few days if all goes well, ma’am!”

Ruby thought about it some more. “Gods, Fang is going to be so pissed at me for letting you get away…” She put a paw on his shoulder. “Fine. I’ll let you stay here, but only if you return home at the next availability, understood? That means next time a caravan leaves the town, next time Kas Ragnoc sends an envoy… The very next availability. Got it?”

He looked almost stunned by her attitude, but nodded in response. “O-of course, my general! I will return to you at the next possible availability. I swear it.” Sam’s subtle changes would be obvious to Ruby, but he didn’t care. His cheeks had blushed and his tail was swaying slightly again. He quickly saluted and nodded to Victoria and Lucian. “Be careful,” he told his allies.

Ruby and Victoria nodded back. The general looked up at the sky. It was still before noon. If they could set out from Lightkeep right away, it would be possible to make it to the palace before midnight. She looked between Lucian and Victoria. She wasn’t glad they’d be bringing a sergal with them, but it must mean something that the sergals trusted her and Victoria enough to let them take somebody of his ranking back with them. “Are we ready?” Ruby asked the two.

Lucian nodded. He was thinking about how Victoria had been healed, but he looked down to Ruby and nodded lowly “Yes, we may leave when you are ready, General. Will we be riding all the way through or stopping somewhere for the night?”

“I’d like to ride all the way through,” Ruby said. Victoria seemed relieved the second she said that. “Johnathan,” she called out to their guide, “are our horses still in the stables?”

Johnathan nodded, hurrying over to the group. “Yes, they have been fed and cleaned for you, ma’am.” Lucian started to head in the direction of the city gates but had to stop himself. He’d been so used to leading that he had moved first on instinct. “Sorry. General Ruby, please lead. I’m not here to cause problems.”

“Fine.” Ruby would have declined leading as she was unfamiliar with the city, but given that she could see the city gates from where she stood, she was confident in her leading abilities.

Victoria stayed close to the skunk’s side as they walked. It seemed she had very strong feelings about the man who’d declawed her and then unsuccessfully attempted to nurse her back to health.

“Hey… Miss Victoria?” Lucian felt awkward talking to her now that Ruby was around. “Are… Are you ok? Your hand, I mean. The Mother didn’t hurt you or anything, right?” Victoria didn’t know much yet about the Den Mothers and the mystique surrounding them, but to question one’s actions like Lucian had just done was extremely telling about his feelings.

“No, she didn’t hurt me,” Tori said dismissively. “I told you, she just healed me.” She didn’t seem ready to divulge any further information about what happened inside that tent.

“Right… Forgive me for asking.” Lucian closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he was guided outside.

Their horses, fed and cleaned, were given back and a larger war horse was given to Lucian. Once they were all mounted up, Lucian gave Ruby a thumbs up, signifying they were ready.


	11. The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Explicit chapter)

Ruby had picked up on just how uncomfortable Lucian Red made Victoria feel. “Cpl. Wildheart,” the general said, “why don’t you lead in front? Lucian and I will follow you.” Victoria enthusiastically nodded yes before setting off, the skunk and sergal in tow.

Lucian picked up on how he was affecting Victoria. He decided to just stay toward the back. Lucian did his best to clear his head and keep his eyes forward. The sun had long been out, warming the air and promising to make the long ride comfortable and warm.

The sun beating down on her for the second time this mission, Victoria again reached down into her saddlebags. She could tell by the way things inside it were now arranged that the bag had been searched while in the stables. Finally, when she found her sunhat, she put it on her head as she continued riding on.

———

A few hours passed without event until a fast-approaching storm could be seen blowing in from the distance. It was clearly shaping up to be a very bad one. “It might be best to find shelter, ma’am,” Lucian called out to Ruby.

Victoria struggled to catch her hat as it was blown off her head by a sudden gust of wind, just barely snagging it before it could escape her grasp. She quickly tucked it back into her saddlebags.

Ruby looked around them. In all directions there was almost nothing. They’d long since entered the rural stretch of the kingdom. Fields of maize, wheat, and other crops stretched on for miles and miles. However, quite far off the side of the road, Ruby could see a cabin, a dim light being emitted from it. Someone was home.

Ruby rode her horse in front to take the lead. “Follow me!” she called over the increasingly intense precipitation.

Lucian brought up the rear. Though his ear was down, his nose was going crazy. The rain was concealing a scent, but his nose couldn’t place it.

As the three of them approached the farmhouse, a lone farmer saw them near his home. He lit a lantern and stood on his porch. “Hey! Who goes there?” an old rhino called. His skin had clearly grown gray over the years—or at least more gray than it already was—and his horn was cracked. “State your business!”

“Friendly soldiers of the kingdom of Kas Ragnoc,” the skunk called as she approached, slowing her horse some as she drew nearer. “There are just three of us. All we request is a place to shelter the storm. I will see to it that you are compensated for any hospitality you provide.” Ruby silently hoped that this older man lived a sufficiently isolated life that he wouldn’t recognize the reportedly dangerous species riding with them.

“Well… I suppose I can’t turn away you two ladies. I recognize the armor. But that… big guy in the back, I don’t recognize his kind. No offense there, but… I’ll allow you to take the barn.” He didn’t talk in a way that suggested he was open to discussion.

Lucian said, “Fair enough, sir. I’ll happily take any shelter I can get. General, Victoria, may I take your horses to the barn as well to get them out of the storm?”

Ruby dismounted her horse, ignoring the offer from Lucian for the time being, and stepped closer to the rhino. Though he was far bigger than the skunk, she tried to intimidate him. Her tail waved slowly behind her. “You will be nice enough to allow us all to stay in your home, won’t you?” she said, hoping he would pick up on what was implied by the slow and deliberate tail movement. He would detect the skunk’s scent as she stepped closer to the homeowner.

The rhino leaned in. “Got a big ol’ barn. Can fit you all in there if that’s your preference, little miss. But as it is, I got one spare room that could hold either you two easily or just him.” He crossed his arms, looking up as lightning cracked through the sky and the rain picked up.

“…Fine.” Ruby turned her back to the older man and walked away. “Barn it is for all of us.” She took a mental note to spray somewhere commonly frequented, such as the front door of his house, before she left the next morning.

She led her horse over toward the barn as the worst of the rain started to fall on them. “C’mon, Victoria, Lucian,” she said.

Lucian now looked more uncomfortable as he preferred being alone, but he just followed behind them.

The rhino sighed. “Fine, fine! But he better not cause issues! Put your horses away and get inside, and don’t drag any mud in. I’ll get the beds ready.” The big rhino quickly walked into his house to get everything ready for them.

Lucian still looked unsure, but guided his horse to the barn and put them in the stable. “Well… looks like you got your way, General.”

Ruby smirked as she tied up her horse and Victoria did the same. “Always do,” she agreed with the sergal, “Victoria and I get to keep an eye on you, and you get to sleep in a comfortable bed. We all win.” Ruby led the walk to the farmhouse, careful to keep her tail aloft just slightly so as not to drag it through the mud.

The interior of the house was cramped but cozy. It was at least an improvement over being left out in the rain. The rhino gave them all a short tour, showing a small bedroom that had two beds, both meant for teen rhinos. Both Ruby and Victoria could each take one and sleep comfortably. The rhino pointed, “You, big guy—since the lady insisted, you can sleep on the couch.”

Ruby held up a paw. “Actually, I’d prefer if one of us kept an eye on the ‘big guy’. I’ll sleep on the couch. Victoria, you and Lucian can get the beds.” She looked to the sergal, “I’m sure if you bend your knees you’ll fit, right?”

He swallowed hard and looked at Victoria, then at the room, then at Ruby. “You… would’ve made a hell of a sergal.” He chuckled, trying to calm down, but then his nose twitched again and he started to sniff and look around. “Sir, who else is here?”

The rhino gave him a strange look. “The hell you mean? It’s been just me for years. What are you going on about?”

“No…” Victoria said, “I smell someone too.” She turned to the sergal. “It’s almost… lupine?”

They all heard several loud yips. Lucian ran over to the window and looked out. He had never met or seen a creature of this sort, but what he saw now told him all he needed. These savage beasts ran and acted like animals—hyenas, to be exact—but he did see that they also had their own weapons. “They approached when the storm hid their stench!”

Ruby reached into her boot and drew her knife. Victoria drew her sword. The rhinoceros cowered in fear.

“What the hell are they?” Victoria asked.

Ruby approached the living room window. She had to wait a few seconds before she could pick up on any movement, but the moment she did she knew what they were up against. “Gnolls,” she said. “Hyena-like ferals. But they’ve never been spotted this far west… The sergal invasion must’ve disturbed even them.”

The rhino ran to the back bedroom and hid in his room as Lucian drew his sword. He looked at the two girls as he hurried over to the kitchen to grab a chair and place it under the front door’s handle. “Any suggestions, or should I just go out there and fight them?”

“You’re not going out there alone,” Ruby insisted. “From what I’ve heard about these things, your best chance against them is to stay put and fight them off as they come at you one by one.”

“Ok, easy enough,” Lucian said. The beasts started to surround the house, their snarls loud and their claws scraping against the windows. A scream filled the house as glass broke in the back bedroom. It was followed by the sounds of biting, tearing, and slashing of steel against bone.

“Stay close! Don’t let them get between us!” Lucian growled and backed up against Victoria.

Ruby almost immediately disregarded what the sergal said. Judging just from the sounds she heard, the man who’d let them stay in their home was now being torn limb from limb in the back of the house. Even if he’d been a dick about letting Lucian stay, he didn’t deserve to die, Ruby thought. She kicked open the bedroom door and immediately sprayed her noxious musk at anything that was moving, attempting to incapacitate the enemy before launching her true attack.

Gnolls were among the filthiest creatures Ruby had met, but even these beasts hated the foul spray. Two immediately leapt out the window, but one got stuck on the very much dead rhino. The stuck gnoll swung his axe around at the skunk, his eyes shut tightly as spray had gotten into them.

Through the front, three more monsters broke down the front door and charged at Victoria only to have Lucian get in their way. He was much more intimidating than the gnolls and held nothing back, his blade swinging with deadly precision. Victoria had seen how fast he was with just his hands, but this was something else entirely. “Victoria, watch my back. Don’t let them get between us!”

Victoria did as Lucian instructed, standing guard behind the sergal as he held off those coming from the front door. Ruby appeared to be taking care of those in the back, and so far none else had broken into the house through any other point of entry, so Victoria was lucky enough to stand guard while the other two actually fought off the enemies.

Several more came in the front door, drawing all of Lucian’s attention. From the side window, one started to break in right in front of Victoria.

A small but powerful voice inside Victoria’s head spoke. ‘You are a warrior—a powerful one! Fight!’ The Den Mother, Vivian Red, had given Victoria confidence. All at once her hesitation dissipated and worry calmed.

Suddenly, the snow leopard found herself compelled to fight. She dashed over to the window and began jabbing her sword through the glass. Though the hyena-like beast hadn’t shattered the entire pane yet, Victoria's blade quickly did the job. She stabbed it through the face over and over, gifting it with countless new holes. Even after the hyena beast had collapsed into something unrecognizable, she wanted more. The girl joined Lucian to fight alongside him, tearing up these gnolls with her blade just as she did the first.

Lucian knew immediately what was going on. After the fight they could talk about it, but for now he was just grateful for the help. Moving with her like a deadly dance, the two parried and attacked as one, moving from the defensive to offensive. Bodies surrounded the two of them as the gnolls started to fall back, their losses getting too great.

Ruby was in the back room still sinking her claws and knife into the one gnoll that hadn’t been successfully scared off by her spray. The fight gave her plenty of time to reflect on the fact that she should probably have become more proficient in using a sword rather than a weapon as shallow as her knife. Much of her combat style, whether her spray or her edged weapons, was intended to serve as a method of neutralizing the enemy, rather than killing it. As much as she may not have acted like it, Ruby was not a big fan of killing. Beasts like these, however, she had no problem murdering, even if her knife made it a slow and laborious process.

Everything turned into a blur for Victoria. All she knew was swinging, slashing, and stabbing her sword. She had to stop herself from chasing after the gnolls as they retreated, her bloodlust seemingly insatiable.

Lucian was happy that Ruby was in the other room, otherwise she might have been concerned to see how ruthless and savage her subordinate was. “Victoria, it’s over. We held them off.” He put a heavy hand on her shoulder and gave a firm squeeze to try and make her focus on him. “Breathe… That feeling will pass. It’s ok.”

The leopard was still breathing heavy. Unsatisfied thus far, she knelt down and lifted up one of the freshly dead corpses. Applying a little effort to avoid the mangy areas, she sank her teeth into it and ripped the flesh from its bone, eating it greedily. She loved how it felt to dine on freshly slaughtered prey. Her normally light gray snout was stained a deep red as she feasted.

Having finally killed the one gnoll she’d been fighting, Ruby threw the body down and made her way back to the front of the house.

Hearing that Ruby was coming and knowing it wouldn’t be good for Victoria to be seen like this, he went to the general, blocking her view. “General! Did you save the farmer? Were you injured?” The smell of her spray hit his nose hard and he coughed, lowering his head. “Sorry, just… strong nose, General.”

Ruby sighed heavily. “I’m afraid he was already gone by the time I got to him… And I’ve got a few cuts and bruises, but nothing major.”

Victoria looked over her shoulder as the general approached. She wondered what skunk tasted like… Probably the taste of not being worth the trouble, she thought, but stood up anyway. Her claws were still extended and her face was painted red with blood. She pushed Lucian aside as she walked past him, accidentally nicking him with the claw of her pinkie finger in the process. She took a slow, deliberate step toward Ruby.

The skunk was immediately uneasy to see the blood-coated feline step toward her, claws extended and a murderous look in her eyes. “Victoria…” she said slowly, raising her tail and taking a step backwards.

Lucian said something in native sergal. If the queen were influencing Victoria, it would get her attention. “Red Mother, remember who our allies are.” Slipping his sword into his scabbard, he gave Ruby a nod to stay calm before speaking in the common tongue. “General, she’s fine… When she was healed by the mother, some sergal energy must’ve transferred into the girl. It can cause a bit of a frenzy in battle. I’m sure it’s about to wear off. Just don’t attack her.”

Just as Ruby turned her rear to the corporal, Victoria suddenly stopped and shook her head, as if she were emerging from a trance. She looked at her paws. Covered in blood. It was all she could taste, too.

She looked over at Lucian, then to Ruby. She considered Ruby’s pose and then her own. It was as if she’d just been stalking towards her general, and Ruby was preparing to defend herself. “…Did we win?” she finally asked.

“Yeah… Yeah, you did great. You look pretty worn out. You should go to our room and lay down for a few minutes. The general and I can check to make sure everything is fine. Right, General?” Lucian looked over to Ruby. It was clear he didn’t want to escalate this or risk anyone getting hurt.

Ruby did not share Lucian’s approach to the situation. “Victoria, you just tried to fucking eat me,” she said, not mincing words.

“What?! I did not!”

Lucian wasn’t able to lie, and here he was already trying to stretch the truth. He slammed his fist against the wall and growled. “Victoria! General! We have a house full of dead bodies and a storm that’s getting worse. We need to get the bodies out and close all the shutters so we aren’t soaked. Victoria is fine now. She’s not a danger to you or me.”

“…Fine,” Ruby finally said. “But now I’m just even more sure that I’m not sharing a room with you, Wildheart.”

“But, General—!”

“Shut it!” the skunk hissed, raising her tail. That got Victoria to stop talking. “Now, let’s get the bodies out and board the windows.” The general set to work doing just that, lugging one of the giant hyena-like monsters outside.

Lucian sighed heavily and looked at Victoria. “Don’t think about it right now. I’ll talk to her and explain what happened…” he said and picked up a dead hyena in each arm, taking them outside and leaving Victoria alone.

The voice of the Den Mother echoed in Victoria’s head. ‘All I did was make you strong. The joy you felt was your own. You are a powerful warrior. You must keep that rage in check. Do that, and nothing will stop you!’

‘I don’t want you in my head anymore…’ Victoria thought for the Mother to hear as she dragged some more bodies out of the small cabin. ‘Thank you, but I don’t want your power anymore. I just want to be myself!’

‘I shall leave you for now, child. In time you will understand.’ The voice went silent and Victoria felt alone again.

Outside, Lucian was hauling the body of the rhino a short distance away. The rain, while still a storm, had calmed to a slow drizzle. “General, Victoria is not your enemy. What she felt usually takes us months to fully control. You just caught her in the very first battle.”

“What are you talking about?” Ruby asked him, dropping a gnoll body on the ground. “What’s different about her now?”

“It is not my place to say or know what happened… but Victoria did something in private with the Den Mother of House Red. What I just saw was the power and fury of a sergal warrior, but I assure you she’s in control… I will make sure to keep an eye on her.” He glanced back at the house and sighed slightly.

“Let me get this straight…” she said. “Your queen infected her with some… sergal disease, and now she’s becoming one of you?!”

“No, no! No, nothing like that! If I had to guess, Victoria must have taken some of her blood. Our blood has many unique effects, and this is one of them. But it’s never permanent! The Den Mother would never force someone to become one of us!” He looked angry at the very notion but was mostly frustrated that he couldn’t give more information. “Whatever happened, it is not permanent. The healing of her hand, yes, but not the bloodlust we just saw.”

Ruby nodded slowly. She guessed that limb regeneration must be one of these ‘unique effects’. She walked with Lucian back inside. Victoria was boarding up the window through which she’d stabbed her sword countless times.

They didn’t have a hope of getting back to the city that night, even if they did make the foolish decision to ride through the storm. They were going to have to stay at the cabin that night and depart in the morning. “Just… keep an eye on her for me tonight, ok?” Ruby whispered to him. She couldn’t believe she was now entrusting a sergal with keeping watch over one of her soldiers rather than the other way around.

“With my life, General.” The house was mostly secure now. Despite Lucian’s best attempts, there were still a number of blood stains all throughout the house, but none in the bedroom that he and Victoria were to share. Lucian took off only a bit of armor and sat on the small bed.

Victoria, once done boarding the windows, sat down on the other bed in the room and stared at the wall for quite some time. She didn’t like that there was somebody else in her head that she couldn't get rid of. ‘Is anything private anymore?’ she thought to herself. ‘Is it even safe to look at myself when I’m changing?’

“You’ll feel if she is there, Miss Victoria,” Lucian said, making a correct assumption about what exactly had been bothering her. “If you told her to leave, she is gone. I promise. You are still in control.” He spoke softly, trying to stay positive for her. “It probably won’t help but… you were very, um, impressive when you fought.” It was the most awkward compliment Victoria had ever heard, but at least she knew it was genuine.

She looked over at Lucian Red. “I fought like an animal,” she said to the man who was still practically a stranger to her. “When they were retreating, I wanted more. When it was safe, I knelt down and began eating their flesh. Is this what you call impressive? Is giving in to my most primal instincts brave?!” She sounded as if she were genuinely asking, rather than proposing rhetorical questions. She really didn’t know the answers herself.

“How you fought was fierce, not at all like the animals that dared to attack us! Your sword was a part of you—your claws even more so. The eating is… something we all have experienced. It’s something basic in us that, as a species, we have evolved to not need. And if I’m being blunt, seeing you as a pure, perfect warrior made me want to fight even harder. To fight beside someone who understands those instincts is something we sergals love. I have no love for slaughtering innocents, or starting a war with someone undeserving, But what we do love is to face a worthy foe and fight with everything we have… for ourselves and for those we care for. It was only at the end of your rage did you advance on your general and cut me… That I can help you control, if you would so wish…”

She dropped her head in her hands. “What was I thinking, going after Ruby like that…” In all honesty, Victoria did not have the kindest feelings toward her general. She ruled over her soldiers using the cowardly threat of flinging a repulsive fluid at them, not with a genuine relationship built between herself and her subordinates. Despite how quickly any fight between the two of them would end with Victoria rolling on the floor and rubbing her own eyes, she still felt the desire to land one solid scratch or bite on the general, just so she could experience a fraction of the pain and intimidation those under her felt.

Lucian studied her and then stood, walking the few steps to Victoria’s bed and kneeling. “I would not dare pry at what happened in that room, but… Mother Red is very wise. She sees through emotion and to the root of the problem. If you open yourself to her and ask, I’m sure she will explain it to you. I will stop you from hurting anyone. I promise.”

She looked at Lucian, tears forming in her eyes, and nodded at him. She was comforted to hear he’d see to it that she never hurt anyone. “Thank you…” she said weakly. To her surprise, she found herself leaning in closer to the sergal male and slowly wrapping her arms around him in a hug. “Thank you…”

Lucian didn’t move into the hug. He stood there, stiff. Victoria could feel that he was holding his breath. The big male slowly put his paws around her and hugged. “Y-you’re welcome, Miss Victoria…”

She buried her face in the fur of his neck and shoulder as she cried a little more. Though she was scared, his strong, masculine scent helped her feel comfortable again.

It had been many years since Lucian had been speechless. This was by far the biggest surprise he’d ever had. He deepened the hug, pulling her in against himself just a bit more. He couldn’t help but mumble, “Soft…” He did not mean to say it out loud, but the feline’s fur against him was too perfectly soft.

She found herself reaching to the base of his shirt, then all at once recoiled away from him. “Wait, I know what's going on!” she yelled at him in an accusatory tone, claws extending from the tips of her fingers. “That Vivian is inside my mind, and she’s making me feel sexually attracted to a sergal for political or breeding reasons!”

“Y… You…” He coughed hard and shook his head. “You’re sexually attracted to me? I, um… I don’t think that’s what’s happening. If anything, Vivian would want you to be attracted to  _ her _ . She prefers women.” He backed away with a slight hurt expression. Lucian wished he was still holding her.

A blush slowly spread over her face, then she felt a tingling in her head. ‘Honey, this is what it feels like when I’m exerting my power over you. What you just felt was all your own…’ a voice came in her head before fading away, the tingling sensation going with it.

“Oh…” Victoria said slowly as she retracted her class and directed her gaze down, embarrassed.

Lucian couldn’t hear the voice, so he assumed the ‘oh’ was about him and he too looked down. “Forgive me if I went too far… I didn’t mean to make you feel that way.” He stood and took a step back to go sit on his bed, also looking down. His hands kept clenching like he was trying to hold on to her still.

As soon as he stood up, Victoria reached for his hand and pulled him back down next to her. Perhaps it was just because her heat was just starting, but she wanted him now. Now that he was sitting down next to her, she slowly began feeling up the front of his trousers.

Lucian made a surprised gasp and, too stunned to move to stop her. Her hands were small and felt so good. “W-what are you doing…?” He gained enough control over himself to hold her, but that didn’t stop Victoria from her rubbing. A bulge was clearly forming in his trousers.

“C’mon,” she whispered, “don’t you wanna at least try to do this? I think if we’re quiet, we can get away with not waking up Ruby.”

“If there is one thing I’m sure of… it’s that I will most certainly not be quiet. Though I suppose I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been with a woman.” He undid the button at the top of his pants and slowly pulled them down. The thick red cock was already out of its sheath by this point, but he was more focused on watching Victoria to see how she would react to it.

As the cock came out from his pants, Victoria could feel herself drooling more than she had been as she ate the raw hyena meat. Slowly, and with her claws retracted, she wrapped both her paws around it. It was warm, and smoother than she'd expected. The leopard began gently rubbing up and down its length, staring at her first penis in amazement.

He was panting softly as he watched the slow movements of her paws, thankful her claws were away. A thick bead of precum rolled off his tip and onto her soft paws. He was having such a hard time staying silent. Lucian reached around and gripped the tight ass he had been staring at while riding all day and gave it a good squeeze. “Gods… that feels so… good!”

The cat gasped as her ass was squeezed, but that noise then transitioned into a purr. She shut her eyes as she let herself get grabbed by the sergal’s strong hand, still jerking him off with her paws.

“Would… Would you mind taking off your clothes? You seem uncomfortable in them.” His hand was already gripping her pants, ready to pull or rip them off at a moment’s notice.

She looked down at his hands’ position on her legs, then nodded, starting to remove her own top as well.

Victoria’s pants were pulled down to her ankles before she was able to get her shirt off. Lucian’s mouth pressed and nibbled against Victoria’s breast through the thin brassiere before he pulled that off her as well. His hands tugged and squeezed, as if both curious and careful. Lucian was afraid to hurt the much smaller female.

She had to stifle a giggle as he played with her tits. She’d never had anyone else do that before and it felt great, but his whiskers tickled the sensitive, pink skin underneath her fur. She shut her eyes, leaned back, and let him explore her for a little while.

“You tell me if you don’t like something.” Lucian suddenly gripped her and laid her down on her back. Letting her arms out of his grasp, he started to kiss down and up her chest, his cock grinding along her pussy slowly. He was holding back from taking her. He had to know that she wanted him. He kissed up her neck, bit her softly, even grazed her sensitive skin with his teeth before moving up to moan against her ear.

She was ecstatic as Lucian explored her feminine figure. She wasn’t sure what else to do as the woman in this situation, but that turned out to be irrelevant as she was quickly too distracted with moaning involuntarily at the kisses and gentle bites. Shivers went up her spine as teeth barely scraped her skin. She could feel herself growing wetter down there. When he was by her ear, she turned her head to the side and kissed his cheek.

Lucian turned his head and kissed her mouth. Sergal tongues were quite impressive, and Lucian was more than happy to show her just how impressive. Their tongues rubbed along each other as his body pushed against hers in need and desire, her moans getting him all the more worked up.

For a moment Victoria felt as if she were about to gag on the man’s long tongue, but that urge quickly subsided. She kissed him back, still able to feel his cock pressing against her body.

Biting her lip as he pulled away, he looked down at her. His body easily could easily cover hers, but he was careful to hold himself up. All her scents were driving him wild. He started a slow, sensual journey down her body, nipping and kissing her chest, then belly, then all the way to her hips. Lowering himself down between her legs, he could feel the heat and wetness as he slowly licked along her slit.

Victoria gasped and had to cover her mouth with a paw to keep from moaning like a slut. She’d never been treated like this before. It was amazing. Reaching down to her waist, she gently spread her pussy open for him.

Opening up his mouth wide he pushed his tongue into her as deep as he could, the hot, wet tongue swirling deeper and deeper. She felt his sharp teeth and maw cover over your pussy like he was claiming it as his own. His strong hands gripped and squeezed her ass while he secretly tried to make her moan louder.

“A-aah!” Victoria covered her mouth with both hands this time, embarrassed she’d just made such a loud sound.

Ruby, lying on the couch, popped one eye open. “Oh, gods dammit…” she muttered, turning over and holding a pillow over her ear to muffle any other sounds that decided to be emitted over the course of that night.


	12. Morning After

The next morning was overcast and still had a slight drizzle to it, but the main storm had passed, and traveling the rest of the way would be easy. Lucian carefully pulled away from Victoria, a very happy smile on his face as he looked over her bare body. He made his way out to the kitchen only in his pants. His chest and back scratched badly with shallow cuts from the leopard’s scarp claws. In the kitchen he found everything needed to make a delicious breakfast: plenty of eggs and cheese with fresh vegetables. He made the general breakfast, as he was sure she wouldn’t be in the best mood.

Ruby would slowly awaken as she detected the pleasant scent of eggs being cooked. As she opened her eyes, she found that the pillow she’d used to muffle the noises of the previous night had fallen onto the floor beside her while she slept. She got to thinking why she’d placed that pillow there, and that’s when she remembered the salacious sounds of her corporal moaning the previous night. Oh, gods…

She turned to see who was cooking. It was the same man who’d been causing Victoria to make those sounds. Oh,  _ gods _ …

“Good morning, General Ruby.” He set her plate down on the counter and gave his best smile. “I have coffee made for you as well.”

Ruby did her best to avoid eye contact with the sergal. Slowly, she did get up and sit down at the counter, but she was careful to keep her head down as she began eating.

“I can tell by your lack of eye contact that you either disapprove or you are… angered by my presence.” He was turned away from the skunk as he began to make a second omelette.

She let out a heavy sigh. “I put you two in the same room to keep an eye on one another, not to… do  _ that _ .”

He sighed slightly and nodded. “It was an… unexpected outcome, though not one I regret. I hope you will not be harsh on her.”

“I’ll at least wait until we get back to the city before I deal with her… I trust you two took precautions?” Ruby looked up at Lucian for the first time that morning.

Lucian tilted his head at the general, which was a very bad sign to Ruby. “What do you mean by precautions? And deal with her how? She did nothing wrong.”

“Yes, she did do something wrong,” Ruby disagreed. “She had sexual intercourse while we were on a mission. That’s not allowed.” The skunk took a sip of her coffee. “And by precautions I mean you pulled out of her before,  _ y’know _ . You did do that, right?”

“On a mission? We are camped out returning from a mission. She’s also been through quite the ordeal. Surely that should count for something.” He didn’t answer her questions, seemingly more focused on his food.

“We’re returning from a mission, yes, but she’s still on a mission. Regardless of what she went through, she's not allowed.” Ruby leaned in closer. “Now, you did pull out of her,  _ right _ ?”

“No,” he said while moving the omelette from pan to plate. “We… We were both new to what happened.”

Her jaw dropped open. “You’re joking, right? You’re fucking joking?” She stood up. “You’re telling me—?!”

“Go—ood morning,” Victoria said as she emerged from the bedroom, a delighted smile on her face and blissfully unaware of the conversation at hand.

Lucian didn’t see what the big deal was. He slept with who would soon be his mate, and that was all. He smiled at Victoria and held up a plate. “I made you breakfast.”

“Wildheart!” Ruby shouted at the cat. “Did he cum in you?!” she asked point-blank.

“Wha—? N-no!” she lied.

“Then why did he just—?”

“Ok, yes,” Victoria confessed.

“But you’re in heat!” She’d been able to smell it coming for the past couple days now.

Victoria could see Lucian was starting to get angry at Ruby. The general was yelling at Victoria, and he did not like that one bit. For this moment though, he held his tongue. 

“Victoria, don’t lie to your general. General, please calm yourself and stop yelling.” Lucian kept his tone friendly.

“How can I calm down?!” Ruby shouted at Lucian. “My 19-year-old corporal could be pregnant!”

“And?!” he shouted back, glaring at Ruby. “Yelling isn’t going to change anything if she indeed is.”

Victoria had begun crying. Had she indeed made a huge mistake? In one night, had she ruined her entire military career? Terrified now, the leopard retreated back into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Ruby gave Lucian an angry look. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” she warned him. “You’re trying to form a connection with a member of the Kas Ragnoc military for political reasons. Perhaps if others see how well Victoria gets along with a sergal, they’re more likely to believe the same. It’s disgusting of you.”

“You dare…” He set his plate down and made his way around the counter to stand before her. “Question me about my feelings for her again, General, and we will have problems. She is a perfect woman completely separate from my mission to help with relations between our kingdoms. I didn’t ask to come with you two; It was the Red Mother who made me travel with you! If you had suspected her to have feelings for me like I do for her, why would you put us in the same room! I offered to sleep in the barn! Me, a commander of the sergal army, sleeping in a barn just so it would be easier on both of you. If it were indeed my task to form a relationship with someone for political reasons, you would by far have been a better choice!”

“Like I’d ever want anything to do with you…” she growled, looking up at the man. Their size difference—Ruby at 5’3” and Lucian at 6’6”—would’ve made the conversation hard to take seriously for any sort of outside observer had there been one. “Well enjoy her while you can,” Ruby hissed at him, “because once we make it back to the city, you’re never seeing Victoria again! I will make sure of it! Understood?!”

“You would control a young woman’s life for no reason?! It is no wonder why when she was enraged last night she went after you… You rule by fear alone!” He walked past her, making sure not to touch the skunk general in the process. To Lucian, Ruby was a vile woman now. He walked into the bedroom and slammed the door hard enough to crack part of the frame before quickly moving to Victoria’s side. Ruby was left to angrily prepare their things to set out for the kingdom’s capital.

Victoria was on the bed she’d slept in the previous night, sobbing with her head in her hands. She didn’t look up to see who had entered, but by scent alone she recognized Lucian.

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t expect her to respond that way.” His voice was low. Hearing Victoria’s sobs made him feel physically ill. “If you were to wish it, I could try to reason with the general…?”

“No, don’t…” she sighed, wiping her nose. “I don’t want you getting sprayed… Did I hear her say I’d never see you again?”

“She seems to think that… when we return she will make sure we never see each other again.” He moved and sat at her side. “Is that what you’d wish? For me to leave and never return to you? “

She looked up at him, the whites of her eyes now red. “Of course fucking not,” she said emphatically. “Especially if I’m… now carrying your baby.” Victoria struggled even to get the words out. The idea that she, at her age, could be pregnant was inconceivable to her.

He just nodded, carefully taking her hand and holding it. “What can I do to make sure that doesn’t happen then? If I try talking to the general again, I fear the outcome wouldn’t be beneficial.”

“If I… am indeed pregnant, they’ll have no chance but to give me maternity leave. If I get that, Ruby won’t be able to control me anymore.”

“You must talk to your general… A general is a leader. Being hard on your soldiers when called for is understandable, if not wise. But this fear… It is too much like that of House Black: using fear to make their slaves work harder and not ask questions…”

Victoria chuckled. “Oh, come on. I’m not her slave… We should get going. The sooner we make it back to the city, the sooner we can figure out what the king wants done with you. Maybe he’ll be able to overrule any of Ruby’s wishes to separate us.”

Lucian nodded and leaned closer before gripping her head and kissing her hard on the lips. When he pulled away he had a slight smile. “Anything for you.”

Victoria smiled. After the kiss she tucked a strand of her hair that had fallen out of her ponytail back behind her ear. “Um, how about you help Ruby pack up while I eat breakfast. It smelled like you were making eggs?”

“Yes, they’re on the counter. I shall help the general.” He stood and got into his gear quickly before packing up both his and Victoria’s supplies. He would carry them to the barn and fix them onto the horses, giving the horses some grain to eat as he waited.

After gathering herself again, Victoria grabbed her food off the counter before sitting down at the table to eat.

After Lucian had finished packing up their belongings, he went behind the house to properly bury the rhinoceros homeowner. The kingdom would be informed of his death upon their arrival back to the city.

After Victoria had eaten her breakfast, she went to talk with her general as she was loading up the horses. “Ruby…?”

“What?” the skunk said, not even turning around to face Victoria.

“I-I’m sorry… for what I did with Lucian.”

“Are you? It sounded last night like you were really enjoying it.”

The snow leopard blushed a bright red. “I’m so sorry… It was the first time since I was a kitten that I’d shared my room with a boy, and I’d never had sex before, so—”

“Wait,” Ruby cut her off and spun around. “You were a virgin up until last night?”

“Y-yes?” Victoria said. “Is that a problem?”

“Well, no, it’s just that… You’re 20, right?”

“19.”

“19. Still. That surprises me.”

Victoria didn’t know how to respond. “W-why does it surprise you, General?”

“Well, y’know,” the skunk said, “a girl as pretty as you, in a place with many more males than females… I know fraternizing is against the rules, but I also know it does happen.”

“…You think I’m pretty?”

Ruby chuckled and patted Victoria on the shoulder. “Of course! Look at you! Gorgeous white-gray coat, cute, dark spots… Of course, this isn’t me hitting on you. You know how I like girls, but you’re a bit young for me, no offense.”

“None taken,” she laughed. For a second she was about to call her general pretty as well, but she didn't want to overstep any more boundaries.

“So… you forgive me for last night with Lucian?”

Ruby sighed. “Look, you’re not supposed to do that on missions. I mean, this was less than an hour after we repelled those gnolls, right?”

“…Yeah…”

“You can't be fuckin’ while there are probably still some hostiles around. It’s just not a good idea.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry, General…”

“It’s ok… You’re not pregnant, right?”

“I don’t know. How would I?”

“Well, the horniness from your heat will subside. Have you noticed any of that yet?”

“I… don’t know. It’s not like I’ve had any opportunities to get… horny since last night.”

“Fair… You know what? Ignore what I said about forcibly separating you and Lucian when we get back to the capital, alright?”

Victoria’s eyes lit up. “R-really?”

“Yes,” Ruby said, “but keep in mind that there’s a good chance you’ll be separated from him anyway. I’m sure the admirals will want to keep him for questioning about the sergals, and I’m sure you’ll have to return to the barracks—unless you start showing signs of pregnancy before then, of course. So I’m not gonna make you split up, but the only ways I see you two staying together anyway is if they keep you in the palace for questioning, too, or if he’s for some reason shipped off to the barracks with us.”

The feline nodded. “Th-thank you, General Ruby,” she said with a salute.

“At ease,” she said back. “Why don’t you go check on Lucian and see if he’s ready to get going?”

“Y-yes, ma’am.” Victoria walked around the farmhouse to check on the sergal’s progress in digging the grave.

Lucian had taken off his armor again. Digging such a large grave was a lot of work, and since he knew time wasn’t with them he worked fast. When Victoria had rounded the corner he had just laid the big rhino in his grave. Lucian knelt and looked as if he was praying.

As Victoria approached and saw him seemingly reciting a prayer over the man’s body, she stopped and shut her eyes as well. She wasn’t big on religion, but she wanted to treat the death with some reverence. Though not praying to any god in particular, she kept her eyes shut and thought about the very few memories she had of the rhino.

Lucian knew she was there; He could make out her scent easily. He stood and started to fill in the hole. “You spoke to the general?”

She nodded down to him. “She’s not as mad now. I don’t think she’s happy with it, but she’s at least not mad at you and me.”

“I will have to apologize. I got angry when she made you cry, and I lost my composure… Romantic feelings are quite strong, it seems.”

“Indeed they are,” Victoria said, a little surprised that his experience with romance was so lacking that he didn’t even know that.

He gave her a wink before focusing back on the digging. “I should be ready to leave in a few minutes. If you and the general get the horses to the front, I’ll meet you there soon.”

She nodded and walked off without another word. She and Ruby made the last of the preparations and mounted their horses before guiding Lucian’s over to the grave he’d been digging.

Lucian was sweaty and caked in a bit of dirt. He hoped when they arrived at the city he could find a bath. When he walked up to Ruby and grabbed his horse he sighed. “General, forgive me for how I acted. Sergals are emotional and seeing how upset Victoria was made me say things I shouldn’t have said.”

“Forget about it,” she said, not all that interested in discussing emotions with him. After all, if they were apologizing, Ruby would be forced to to say sorry for the harsh accusations he made against him. She was far too proud to ever do that. “C’mon, let’s get going.”

“I… see. Thank you, General”. He went to his horse and mounted up. The light rain felt good on the parts of his fur that were left exposed by his clothing. “How much farther do we have to ride?”

“Three or four more hours,” Ruby said, “unless we make our horses sprint or something. And I don’t wanna do that to them.”

“No, no, there’s no reason for that, I imagine.” He got comfortable. He occasionally looked over at Victoria but otherwise focused his attention to the road, preparing himself for what he was sure to be a nearly endless amount of questions.

This time Ruby took the lead, letting Victoria and Lucian ride side-by-side.


	13. Coming Home

The few remaining hours of travel were uneventful, aside from Lucian admiring the lush farmland and foreign agricultural methods all the way to the capital. Once they got close to the city walls, an armed group of soldiers all rode out to meet them. “Halt there! State your name and business.” They directed their attention to Ruby, but their weapons were much more focused on Lucian.

“General Ruby Reynolds and Corporal Victoria Wildheart, returning home from scouting of sergal-occupied Lightkeep.” She looked over her shoulder at the guest. “One of the sergals by the name of Commander Lucian of Den Red volunteered to come back with us. Lower your weapons.”

“You… have a willing sergal commander with you? Our reports say you left our capital with three other soldiers in your party. Where are they?” The guard was a captain, from what Ruby could tell. He gestured and the soldiers beside him lowered their weapons.

“One asked to stay and watch over family in the city, which I permitted. The other… is deceased, unfortunately.”

The captain nodded. “Understood, General. Two days ago we had a tribal rider return with the body of Sgt. Viper. It’s good to know no one else was killed. You are free to enter the city, but… keep your guest with you at all times.”

As the small group made their way into Kas Ragnoc, they couldn’t help but notice the drastic changes that happened in just four days. Just outside the city walls were small camps, into which tribes seemed to be moving a great number of people. The city walls seemed to be improved as well. Ruby could see dozens of slits in the wall for arrows as well as massive, new ballistas spread out along the wall. Lucian seemed impressed. “This is… very formidable. I’m sure this will greatly increase your odds of survival.”

Ruby asked the sergal, “How long would you say we have before House Black arrives on our shores?” She led the way to the palace. Despite the fact that she stunk rather badly, she needed to show Lucian to the admirals in charge of the war effort at the earliest possible opportunity.

“It is unclear. House Black is eager for war, but moving and organizing their slaves gives us the advantage of time. But no more than a month—three weeks at best. Though they might take longer if they land somewhere else. This was the only dock we knew about, so we came here.” Lucian followed the group, taking in the sights of the city. It wasn’t as impressive as the city of the old masters, but it was better defended and didn’t reek of slaves or corruption as far as he could tell. “We are heading to your leaders now?”

Ruby nodded to the sergal. “Follow me. I’ll take us there.”

Not an hour later, she, Victoria, and Lucian were standing before some of the highest-ranking members of the kingdom's military. “Gods, General Reynolds…” Lord Saxon spoke as he entered last. “Couldn’t you have washed up before joining us?”

The skunk chuckled. “Didn’t have time. Sorry, sir.”

He held a hand over his nostrils. “It’s… fine… So, this is a sergal in the flesh?”

“Yes, I am Commander Lucian of House Red, leader of House Winter’s military operations as well as punisher of those who violate the law.” Lucian took a knee and bowed low.

Lord Saxon returned a respectful nod and gestured for him to rise. Saxon had many questions to ask. He asked politely but with a hint of authority and worry for the city of Lightkeep. Lucian stayed calm and gave efficient and direct answers. The conversation was going well. The news and confirmation that not only was the city still standing but that only a small number of lives had been lost was a weight lifted off of many hearts. Ruby corroborated several key points to the story when asked if what the commander had said was true.

Then Lucian filled them in on why this had all happened. “You see, Lord Saxon, our people do indeed travel often. We serve as almost a mercenary army when we can, but only for who we think is deserving: no tyrants or slave cities, just ones such as yours that face a great threat. Our brothers and sisters in House Black however broke away from us six months ago. We were saddened, but we moved on. That was, up until a month ago, when we were savagely attacked by our own kin and a brutal slave army. They made no offers, only death. We lost close to 300 men as we made it to our ships and fled away. The Black Queen’s hunger knows no end, and soon her slaves will construct a navy to sail her death-bringers to your shores. If not stopped, they will kill or enslave everyone in your land.”

“How many men does House Black have?” Ruby asked. “With all your sergals and all of our own army, surely we can take them on.”

“I am unsure now, to be honest. If it were just House Black, we may have the upper hand. But when they took over the surrounding cities their numbers increased drastically. They have a few thousand at least with just as good of training as the soldiers of House Winter,” Lucian responded to the general.

Lord Saxon sighed. “So our preparations must be extensive… If we forgive the sergals’ invasion of Lightkeep and you surrender all those who wish not to be a part of your society back to the kingdom of Kas Ragnoc, can we count on you as allies against House Black?”

“I would find that agreeable. However, even if not in Lightkeep itself, we wish to build our own society into yours. A union of our nations. In turn, we would happily agree to join together” Lucian crossed his arms to make it clear he was being firm in negotiations.

Saxon seemed surprised and delighted. “A union…? But the differences between our two nations are so great…”

Ruby interjected, “You are loyal to your Den Mothers. We have a king. Though one day we could be friendly to one another, I doubt a union will happen any time soon…”

“We have no issues with a king. We will recognize that this is your land with your rules, but we will retain our beliefs and ways. The Den Mothers have agreed this would be fair and a way to show gratitude for staying.” Lucian gave Ruby his attention before looking back to Saxon.

Saxon flashed an admiral a pleasantly surprised expression, who shrugged back at the lord. “Very well,” the royal advisor said, “as soon as this war is either averted or won, we will begin drafting a treatise for the consolidation of our two nations, and the sergals will join our glorious kingdom of Kas Ragnoc!” All the high-ranking military officials and Ruby cheered. The skunk offered Lucian a congratulatory pat on the back.

Lucian looked confused by the action but smiled at the energy and patted Ruby in return. His gaze then fell on Victoria to see if she was ok.

Victoria as well was smiling at Lucian Red. She was glad her romantic interest would no longer live confined in a walled city once this war was dealt with.

Lucian walked up to her and nuzzled against her cheek, clearly not keeping his feelings for her hidden. The cheering died down some as the sergal openly expressed his romantic feelings for the young leopard. She began to nuzzle him back, but the deafening silence of the room forced her to immediately stop.

“Corporal Wildheart…” an admiral spoke. “Do you have… a relationship with this sergal?” He clearly had misgivings about a bond between these two given what he’d just heard, or he at least did not think they’d grow so attached so quickly.

“I… Forgive me for such an open display of affection for the corporal. Though it may seem sudden, I mean no harm by my actions. I simply care deeply for the young soldier.”

Saxon seemed unsure and looked to Ruby “Do you have any thoughts on this? You’ve spent more time with them than we have.”

Ruby sighed heavily. “They… The two seem to be quite attached to one another. I believe they also… mated.” She looked down, embarrassed she’d let it happen. “Believe me, I was not happy about it either!”

Lucian moved in front of Victoria almost defensively. “It was not my intention. It happened and I do not regret it, but I understand that some here may disapprove.”

“If I might ask, what are your intentions now that you have been with her? Do you plan on taking her back home with you? Will you stay here with her? Leave her and forget about her?” One of the admirals asked in an accusing tone.

“I would happily bond with her,” Lucian said, “but I would never force her. She is her own person, after all. If possible though, I wish to stay by her side…”

Victoria spoke up, “I’d like him to stay here with me, if he could.”

“Victoria!” Ruby hissed. “That is inappropriate for our nations’ relations!”

“Actually…” Saxon interrupted, “if we could prove that the relationship between sergals and the people of Kas Ragnoc can be not just friendly but romantic… adoption of our new allies may be eased.”

Lucian smiled at that and bowed again. “I appreciate the stance that you have taken, Lord Saxon. I will stay with Victoria. Ruby can, of course, stay close as well to keep an eye on me, if that would make you feel better, General.” Lucian felt wonderful knowing he could stay close to his romantic interest.

Ruby desperately looked to the royal advisor. “Sir, how can this sergal stay around Victoria if she is needed full-time in my barracks?”

“I am not asking to steal her from you, General,” Lucian said. “Only to steal her attention after hours. I will of course not interfere with how you train your soldiers. Though, in a month or two she might be too pregnant to work.”

Saxon had a bit of a chuckle that he disguised as a cough. “General Ruby, for the time being the commander shall stay with you at the barracks, in his own private room of course. Cpl. Victoria you shall be the commander’s armed escort while he stays here. And in the near future, if she does get pregnant, we will grant her maternity leave. And I insist that we also use the union as a show of just how… ‘ _ friendly _ ’ our new allies are. Are we in agreement?”

“But…” Ruby said, “the only private room in the barracks is mine…”

“The women’s barracks has a spare bed; He can stay with us, General!” Victoria told Ruby, who returned a furious look. She quite obviously knew about the vacant bunk but didn’t want it brought up in front of the admirals and advisor.

Saxon looked at the group and then to the admirals he’d summoned. “My friends, we have had an eventful morning. Please be dismissed and tell your subordinates about our updated news. We shall begin fortifications of Lightkeep and of Kas Ragnoc right away. Now, please, be dismissed. General Ruby, I wish to speak to you alone. Corporal, please escort the commander to your barracks.” With that, Saxon stood and walked behind his chair into a separate private chamber to wait for Ruby.

Victoria bowed to the royal advisor before taking Lucian by the hand out of the room. The admirals filed out, Ruby walked into the lord’s private chamber, and before long the skunk stood alone in front of Lord Saxon.

“What did you need to speak to me about, milord?” General Reynolds asked.

He was behind his desk already starting to take notes on all the information he had just heard. “Oh, there’s no one here. I don’t want to talk to General Ruby; I want to talk to just  _ Ruby _ . Would that be ok?”

She nodded slowly. “You just… want to talk to me as a person, sir?” the skunk asked. “Am I understanding you correctly?”

“Yes. I feel there are some… events that have happened that may be hard for you to report, whether because of your position or the lack of meetings we personally have had.” He dipped his quill in ink and kept writing. Ruby could see that his nose twitched at her scent, but not in an outright disgusted way.

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t feel I understand you,” she admitted. “What is it you’d like to ask me about?” Ruby approached Lord Saxon’s desk and sat down across from him. She was careful to sit with her tail under her as to not leave any spray residue from her rear on his seat.

“Several things.” Saxon smiled as the skunk sat down. He gestured to the corner of the room where a young leopard servant came up and poured two glasses of wine for them. “Fang told me to be careful giving you drinks, but I don’t think a glass will cause too much trouble.” He took the glass with a smile and added, “Please know that I’m not forcing you to drink or… trying to assert my position over you. I simply enjoy a casual chat. I’ve found it helps make people less anxious around me.”

“Gods, I could use a drink,” Ruby groaned as she reached forward and took a glass of wine. She took a long sip from it. “You said Fang told you that? When?”

“Oh, we met last Sunday, just as we have done every Sunday for the past two years.” He sipped and sighed happily. “He always speaks very fondly of you… He helped clear your name several times after your off-duty activities. The fights, destruction of property, use of spray in… unique ways.” Saxon smiled slightly, drinking a bit more before sitting and crossing his arms in front of him.

“Wow!” she said. “I had no idea you were still that close with him.” She stared into her lap as she was reminded of her numerous unlawful incidents. “Well… I do appreciate his doing that for me… So what is it you’d like to talk to me about?” she asked again.

“What are your true thoughts about the sergals, specifically the commander? It was obvious you don’t want him in your barracks. Is it because you’re worried he will breed with all the women there?” Saxon asked, clearly very curious.

“As I learned through visiting Lightkeep, the sergals do not seem to value consent in exactly the same way that we do… While I believe what happened between Lucian and Victoria was consensual, I can’t guarantee that his interactions with the rest of those in my barracks will be.” She finished her glass of wine already. “On top of that, I don’t want to give up my own room for him.”

“So that is your concern then? Mating? I want to know if you think there is any real danger to having him here.”

“Well, there is also the fact that sergals are very strong. All reports we received on their strength and speed were correct, if not understated. Though I’m sure a barracks full of myself, Fang, and dozens of soldiers could subdue him if he ever flipped, I don’t know just how many he could take down with him before we could do that…”

“I want you to make sure he doesn’t feel attacked or threatened. Have him go with you to your local bar. Be friendly… As friendly as you can be, I should say. We need relations to stay positive, as I’m sure you understand.”

“You… You want me to take Lucian out drinking, sir?” she asked, making sure she heard the man correctly.

“Yes. Get to know him. A soldier relaxed is someone you can get close to. Understand him. If it’s consensual, let him sleep around. That tells us a lot about his feelings… and his stamina. Make him drink with you. See if the sergals can be civil and polite to our people.”

“You… want me to let him… have intercourse with the female members of my company?” Ruby asked, to which Saxon nodded. “I-I’m not comfortable with that, sir,” she said. “I can’t lose all my women to pregnancy leave!”

“Oh, calm down, General,” the lord replied. “You only have, what, three females anyway?”

“…Five.”

“Look, Ruby, we need to ease interspecies relations as much as we can ahead of our negotiations with the sergals. If allowing relationships to develop between one of them and our women will assist in that, so be it.” He drank from his glass. “If it helps, however, you can limit Lucian to take just one more woman in addition to Cpl. Wildheart. Would that make you happy?”

She nodded slowly, still hesitant. “Moving on to your proposition of drinking, the people of this city are still uneasy about the sergals. How are they going to feel seeing one in their local bar?” she asked.

“If we weren’t in such a rush I would caution you to keep him hidden. But if you and Victoria are with him, the people will remain calm.”

The skunk nodded. “I’ll raise my tail at anyone who gives our guest any trouble.” Smirking, she asked, “Do you have any taverns you’d recommend? I’ve been to just about each one in the city, but I can’t say I remember my time in most of them.”

“Hmm… Well, I hear The Pit is putting on a fight tonight, and their drinks are always delightfully strong.” The fact that someone of his status knew of and supported The Pit showed that, even though he was the king’s assistant, he wasn’t as stuck up as Ruby had come to believe most nobles were.

“The  _ Pit?! _ ” Ruby scoffed. “Yeah, that’d be a great place to take our guest, if I wanna get him killed!” she laughed. “Come on, I mean one of the classier taverns.”

“The Pit is great for those who enjoy a good fight. It’d be a good way to see his personality. If you refuse to take him there, however, you could try Tiffany’s Rest. It’s a more exotic and upper-class tavern.”

“I don’t wanna get him too riled up. From what I saw in Lightkeep, sergals have a tendency of getting a little too excited to fight and not knowing when to stop. I’ll take him to Tiffany’s.” Ruby stood up.

Saxon nodded with a smile. “You know, I’ve heard you have a tendency of getting a bit too excited and riling up yourself.”

“Right, but I don’t think getting myself in a fight and spraying another patron would be a very pretty thing for our guest to see,” she chuckled. “I’ll pitch the idea to Lucian tonight. I assume I can put this on your tab, Lord Saxon?”

“Oh yes, that reminds me!” Opening up a drawer, he pulled out a single platinum coin with the royal seal on it. “Give this to Tiffany’s and you’ll be good. And if they ask who’s funding this, tell them I sent you.” He handed Ruby the coin. “I know it wasn’t perfect, but you did well on your mission.”

She nodded solemnly. “I trust that raven scout delivered Sgt. Vip’s body successfully, and a burial was held?”

“He did. Vip now has a small memorial in your barracks and was buried with full honors.”

“Thank the gods… May he rest peacefully.” Ruby turned to leave the room. Saxon went to work and let her leave.


	14. A Celebration

Ruby walked out of the palace and started to head back to the barracks. The night was starting to creep in and the sky had a beautiful, orange glow to it. As she walked into the barracks, she heard a loud, if not happy buzz of activity. Noisy cheering and grunts could be heard followed by laughter and more cheering. It seemed like the fun had already started.

Ruby stepped into the building and waited. She didn’t know if she’d be welcomed back as some sort of hero for a successful mission, or a villain for letting Vip die, or if her soldiers would be too distracted to even salute the general.

What she saw, however, was almost comical. Two of her fox soldiers were both arm wrestling commander Lucian. Lucian looked like he was having a blast, and Ruby could tell from looking around the room that he had bested several others. Lucian saw the skunk and, after slamming down the hands of those he was arm wrestling, stood and shouted, “Your general has returned! Let her hear some praise!” Everyone turned and either saluted or cheered for Ruby. They seemed happy she had returned alive.

Ruby offered a small grin in response to the praise. “Pour me a drink,” she said to the first soldier she saw, Pvt. Thomas. “I need to get out of these clothes.” The lingering odor she brought with her into the room should have been an adequate explanation for why she needed to change. She walked past everyone and headed toward her quarters.

Thomas poured a drink and everyone else made sure to set up the general’s very own spot at the head table. Victoria had previously been sitting there, chatting with a fennec fox girl who had been in the company a bit longer than her. Fang was nowhere to be seen yet.

Once in clean clothes and smelling a little less terrible, Ruby rejoined the group and took her seat at the head of the table. Though she seemed to be in a cheery mood, it was as if her mind were somewhere else. She stayed quiet for a short while after sitting down, drinking her liquor.

After Thomas handed Ruby the drink he bowed slightly. “Ma’am, we know it wasn’t easy, but we are all glad to see you back safe. Fang’s in the courtyard with Viper’s memorial. We all paid our respects to him today… Sorry, I don’t mean to bother you. Please enjoy the rest of your night. Just know we are happy you’ve returned.”

“Thanks, Thomas,” the skunk said. After quickly finishing the drink Thomas had gotten her, she poured another—her third drink of the night—and stepped into the courtyard.

“Anybody else think they can take on Lucian?” Victoria called out once Ruby was out the door, challenging her fellow company men to an arm wrestling match.

Lucian leaned over to his girlfriend. “Is your general alright, do you think? “ 

A young bull, easily one of the biggest of the young soldiers, came up and slammed his arm down. Lucian took it and grinned as he bared his teeth in a smile. They struggled for a few seconds, but Victoria could see that Lucian was going easy on the bull. He then slammed his arm down with a huff. “Aah, a good match!”

Victoria waited until after the match to reply. “I’m sure she’s alright. Probably just needs to sort out her feelings about the mission, and she often leans on alcohol for that.” The snow leopard took a sip of the fruity drink one of the men had prepared for her. She rubbed her boyfriend’s bicep, “Good job on that one by the way, babe.”

Lucian got a bit red at that, Victoria having quite the effect on him. He straightened up a bit and smiled at her. “You think so? I haven’t even started yet! What other challengers can I take on? I’d face a dozen men for you.” The same fennec fox girl Victoria had been talking to came up and sat across from Lucian, holding out her arm.

Victoria could tell the fennec was only doing this to get close to Lucian, but she allowed the fennec to wrestle with him anyway. The fox, of course, was quickly defeated. After losing, she began feeling up Lucian’s forearm, saying flirtatiously, “Wow, you’re so strong!”

Victoria had had enough by this point. She hissed at the other girl. “Young soldier,” Lucian said, “you are lovely, but what you’re doing is upsetting my mate. Leave us.” 

The fennec looked a bit shocked and flustered. “Well how come she gets to have you and I don’t? You’re not exclusive are you?!”

Lucian spoke calmly but did not mince words. “Victoria is my mate and until she wills it or she dies, I am hers. Unless she wishes me to breed with you, I have no desire to.” He turned his head and looked at Victoria to gauge her reaction.

The poor snow leopard wasn’t expecting a confrontation like this at all. She was simply trying to scare another girl away from her boyfriend. She wasn’t even fully aware at this point that she was apparently mated for life to this man she’d met just days ago.

“Babe,” she said in a low voice to the sergal, “can we talk about this later?”

He nodded, a bit unsure now. Still, his words were enough to make the fennec fox leave. He whispered back softly, “Sorry, that was a bit heavy. You seemed to dislike her intentions, so I just wanted her to leave us alone.”

“I did,” she said to him before trying to lighten up the atmosphere after that slightly awkward moment. “Corey!” she called out to a rhinoceros who’d been living in the barracks longer than almost anyone else still there, apart from Ruby or Fang. “Come on, babe, I think he could be a real challenger!”

Though the rhino didn’t initially seem interested in arm wrestling, more and more of his fellow men began goading him on.

One man offered the rhino his extra rations for the whole week, an offer that seemed to entice him greatly. Corey sat with a loud creak in his chair. He finished smoking a pipe as he stared at the sergal across from him, offering over his arm. Lucian’s smile grew wide. He pulled off his chest piece and leaned in with a grin. Their hands were equally large as they gripped each other and squeezed. They let Victoria count them down from three. When she shouted to begin, neither arm budged. Both men struggled to get the upper hand.

Victoria watched on as if spectating some genuine sporting match. It seemed to be either man’s game. She wouldn’t be disappointed at all if Lucian lost. Corey, after all, was at least twice his weight, on top of the fact that he was a rhino. She honestly hadn’t even expected her boyfriend to last even this long.

Lucian was grinning. As he started to fail, he winked at Victoria before he pushed into his opponent, getting in closer so that the rhino’s size couldn’t help him then slammed the rhino’s arm down.

The crowd erupted as Lucian ended up victorious in a surprising upset. Though they were joyous, Corey was clearly not. He stood up and immediately began throwing out accusations of misconduct in his deep, gruff voice. “You cheated!” he shouted at the sergal over the noise of the crowd. “You’re not allowed to lean into me like that!”

Lucian repositioned his arm back on the table and smirked. “Come on and try again! We have plenty of eyes watching. What I did is perfectly allowed, but I’ll beat you again if that’s what you need!”

“Like hell you’ll pull that on me again!” he shouted. “Should I push into you too? Crush you and that annoying girlfriend of yours?” He was clearly too intoxicated and heated for his own good.

Victoria could see an instant change in Lucian as he heard the rhino’s insults, especially the one directed at his girlfriend. “Oh, you could push into me. But you won’t like what happens next…”

Victoria threw her hands into the middle of the argument in an attempt to distract the two men from one another. “Go. Just go,” she said, turning to the rhino. “Corey, just go.”

The rhinoceros huffed, but finally turned around to re-enter the crowd and resume drinking.

When she turned to her boyfriend, Victoria saw Lucian quickly walking out the door leading outside. He was breathing heavily and trying to stay calm.

Victoria, grateful he hadn’t run out to the courtyard and interrupted Ruby’s mourning, quickly chased after him. “Lucian!” she called, catching up with the sergal. “Babe, ignore him. He’s just a meathead anyway.”

“He insulted you and my honor… Aah, it’s fine. I just… Sorry, Victoria.” He hung his head and looked down with a sigh.

She gently rubbed his upper arm. “Hey, it’s ok…” she said softly. “I’m just glad you didn’t escalate it into a full-blown fight. You may be of Den Red, but you don’t have to be as hotheaded as the rest of them, ok? If you are, things aren’t going to work out between us, or maybe not even between our two nations.” The snow leopard peered up into his eyes.

“I… do not want that. I want to prove to everyone that we aren’t mindless killers. I especially don’t want you to think that.” Lucian looked down into the leopard’s eyes with a slight smile, taking her hand. “I’m ok, I promise. No getting out of control for me.”

She gripped his hand back. “Right,” she said confidently, having to tilt her head back a little just to look up at him. “You’re going to be nice and calm and show the people of my kingdom that sergals aren’t all bad.” She stood on her tiptoes, which Lucian had come to realize over the past day meant that she wanted a kiss.

Lucian quickly leaned down and kissed her for a long while. “I will do everything I can to make everyone see that I am not bad. Thank you for being at my side. If your general would allow it, can we go out into the town together?”

Victoria smiled. “I can ask for leave tomorrow, but I wouldn’t count on it. Come on, let’s go inside.” She gently took a hold of his paw.

Talking with Lucian had calmed him down greatly. When he re-entered the barracks, the atmosphere had already returned back to its former energy with plenty of laughs and stories to be told.

———

Ruby stepped outside with her cup of liquor in hand and made her way to the small memorial with a painting of Vip at the top. It was decorated with a few flowers and an excess of cinnamon sticks. The skunk knelt down next to Fang in front of it. She didn’t say a word.

Fang turned his head. Incense had been burning for a while and he kept his eyes shut. “Ruby… Welcome.”

“Thanks…” she said so quietly it was almost inaudible. She shut her eyes and bowed her head as she reflected on her memories of Vip’s life.

“One of the ones I trained… Another young soul gone on to the next life.” He sighed and turned slightly to look at Ruby. “Do not carry the weight of this yourself. I have lost soldiers and friends too.”

She shook her head slowly. “He trusted me to keep him safe… and I failed him. Though one day I must eventually give up this weight, I will continue to bear it for now. It’s my fault, Fang.”

“My first time leading clanmates ended in an ambush. They all fought so hard, for each other and for me. Three men died to protect me. Months later, the survivors all said they’d have happily taken their place. That is what it means to lead and be respected. Remember why they chose to follow you, Ruby.”

“Because he feared me, Fang. He followed me not because he loved me as a leader, but because he didn’t want to be sprayed with a stinky fluid.” She quickly wiped away a tear, no doubt the first of many.

Fang nodded slightly. “Yes… Yes, he did fear you, but that was also why he respected you.” He pulled out a scroll tied closed with string and handed it to Ruby. “I had each of them write a letter in case they didn’t return…”

“You did not…” Ruby opened her eyes again just to make sure the dragon wasn’t lying. He wasn’t. She took the scroll from him. “…Do I even deserve to read this?” she asked slowly.

“You do. It was… very ‘Viper’ of him, if I’m honest. Never was one to hold back his words. It’s very comforting to me. Tell me… did he get to say goodbye to Sam before he died?” Fang looked up and directed his gaze fully at Ruby.

She nodded. “I believe so. Sam was attempting his magic on him just as Vip…”—Ruby swallowed hard—“slipped away.”

Fang could see that Ruby was close to falling apart. He looked around to be sure the two of them were alone and pulled her in for a hug. He knew she didn’t like hugs often, but he could tell she needed comfort.

The general flinched at first, then quickly hugged him back as the dam broke and tears flowed. She wept into his shoulder, still clutching the scroll in her paw.

He held her very tight and rubbed her head. They had known each other for so long that there was no awkwardness or judgment, just support and love.

She pulled away after just a few seconds, giving her less time for comfort than she truly needed at the moment. “I can’t have the kids see me like this,” she whispered, wiping her nose. “I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.”

“Ruby, no one is out here… Don’t think you are the only one who has cried for him. Let yourself open up. Let yourself grow as a person. I will go in and see our… guest. Read the letter and take a minute. Please, for me.” Fang stood and bowed to Ruby.

“Thank you, Master Fang,” she overcame her choked up throat to say. She addressed him as a master, something she hadn’t done in months, or maybe even years, since their disagreements with one another heightened.

Fang stopped halfway to the door and looked over at Ruby. He nodded before continuing inside. Bittersweet emotions took over the dragon’s thoughts.

Ruby was alone now, still kneeling and clutching the scroll in her hand. The night was silent save for some crickets.

She turned to face the memorial again and, hesitant, General Ruby unraveled the scroll and began to read it…

> Well I suppose if you’re reading this .. I’m no longer with you. I hate the idea of this, by the way. No matter what I say here it’s not going to express what I’m feeling. But I’d like to say that if I die I don’t want any pity or guilt. In war .. in life, people die and that’s ok. I believe we all have a purpose and maybe my time has indeed come.
> 
> To Sam. i want to say that I’ve always loved you. Nothing more I need to say really. Nothing I could write could explain the perfect times we have had. Never stop being true to yourself.
> 
> To Master Fang. you have taught me more of honor and discipline than I thought I could handle. Your training and trust in me has pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of. I pray that we meet again in another life so that I could learn from you again. 
> 
> To my general. hope you don’t mind me calling you Ruby here. Least you can’t spray me for it now. Just teasing .. To you I want to say thank you. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for you to lead us. I know we might not be the best but we are loyal to you. And not just because you make us afraid, but because of all the stuff you do without telling us. You help us out when we have personal issues as well as make sure all of us get the training we need to improve. If I don’t die I hope I can buy you a drink after all this is over. 
> 
> Well I need to get to bed or you’ll give me an early morning ass kicking. I hope no one has to read this ..

At the very bottom there was a small addition.

> Ruby .. please keep an eye on Sam. Dumb fox can’t get enough of you

After rolling the scroll up again, Ruby had to bury her face in the fur of her shoulder to wipe away the tears. She had no idea Fang had asked her soldiers to do this before the mission. She felt like an idiot for yelling at him the morning that they set off. She felt like an idiot for refusing his request to join them for the mission. Maybe if she hadn’t been so stubborn, Vip would still be alive. She felt like an idiot.

Ruby knew she had to find that damn dragon and apologize to him, but she didn’t want her subordinates to see her like this. She left the courtyard and entered the barracks through a seldom used back door that didn’t open into the common area, then she began looking for Fang.

Though Fang was in the common room, he hadn’t joined the others in socializing and drinking. He was watching from the sidelines, clearly sizing up Lucian and studying how the commander conducted himself. Fang was more impressed than anything. Following his return to the barracks after talking with Victoria, Lucian had managed to calm down all the soldiers and for the most part seemed to be getting along. Fang had mixed feelings regarding the fact that Victoria and Lucian were an item, but he stayed quiet. Ruby approached from the dark hallway leading to the room that hosted all the excitement.

As the old man was passively observing, he was yanked without warning into the hallway. A certain monochromatic striped figure was clearly the one who had done it. She suddenly hugged him tight, not saying anything.

Fang was almost instantly worried and held her tight. “Hey, hey… It’s ok. I’m here.” His heavy, scaled hands slowly rubbed the back of her neck. It was an old trick he used to calm her when she was little. He hoped that she would still enjoy it all these years later.

She wept into his chest. He was more than half a foot taller than her, so she didn’t have to lower her head that far to reach his upper torso. “Vip was such a good man…” she sobbed. “He didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

“No… No he didn’t, Ruby. But it wasn’t your fault. From what I heard, it could’ve been much worse. Just remember that he was a good man. Let that guide you in the future.” He continued to rub and hold her. He’d never seen her like this and it worried him. He wanted to help the poor skunk but didn’t know how.

“It  _ was _ my fault… How much have you heard about how the mission played out?” She lifted her head up and looked Fang in the eyes.

He sighed and looked at her. “I suppose not much. Come on…” He took her by the arm in a and led Ruby to the nearest room that he knew would be empty: his bedroom. He sat her down and made a cup of tea, just as he almost always did for her when speaking to the general alone. As he poured it he spoke. “I want you to tell me your side of it in full, ok? We will work through this.” He handed Ruby the cup. She was sitting on his bed while Fang was in a chair, making them at equal height. “Now, from what I was told you were sneaking toward Lightkeep and you were discovered, yes?”

She grabbed a handkerchief off a nearby table and wiped her nose with it after taking the cup of tea. “That’s not… exactly the case,” she admitted, gritting her teeth. “We were lying low against the ground when two sergals walked by. They seemed to smell Victoria’s heat as well as my own scent, but they didn’t appear to think much of it and were about to pass by us.” She took a long sip of tea just to delay telling Fang about her ineptitude. “They were talking between themselves about… disgusting things they’d done at Lightkeep, and I could feel myself getting angrier and angrier at them… It was like they had no shame!”

“That seems very likely. From what we have been observing, sergals seem to get carried away by their emotions. Even the tribes we’ve allied with have reported with astonishment just how… depraved the men can be. Please continue, Ruby.”

“I… let my fury about their heinous acts overwhelm me. I mean, they were talking about beating women into submission, and taking any woman of their choosing for their own use! …So, Viper was waiting in a tree with his bow and… I ordered him to shoot them.”

“Sound strategy… Not the best reasoning, but still it’s clear that the sergals didn’t make that situation easy for themselves. You had both the advantages of being hidden as well as numbers. All things considered, you had the best odds of success. It sounds like Viper is right—that you shouldn’t blame yourself.” Fang sipped his tea and sighed. “His death is tragic, but this seems to be more a matter of how those sergals spoke about others than your bad judgment, Ruby.”

“I didn’t have to make him fire!” she shouted, the flood of tears returning. “I could have been a gods-damn professional and let those two sergals pass by! It’s my fault I got so mad at them! It’s my fault the fight broke out, and it’s my fault Viper’s dead!”

He sighed, sipping his tea and making sure she drank hers. “Fighting was a valid option. No, it wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t wrong either. We have never fought anything like them… I’m grateful that everyone else made it back…”

“Stop it!!” she stood up and shouted at the dragon. “Stop justifying my terrible leadership! Stop acting like it’s ok that I made a decision based purely on emotion, and got a man of mine killed! Fucking stop it, Fang!!”

“The sooner you accept what happened, the sooner you will learn. I have so much to be angry about!” he stood and shouted back. “If I had been there, maybe I could’ve calmed you down, or lent a hand fighting! But I can’t change that! I can only be thankful that you are here now.”

“That’s my fault, too!” She lifted her head out of the hands she’d been weeping into to say that. “It’s my fault you didn't come. It’s all thanks to my own damn stubbornness and childish rebellion against you—a rebellion against good leadership!”

He lowered his voice even though he was still upset. “Oh, Ruby…” He put an arm around her for support as he sat at her side. “I have always admired your strength, you know that? Even when that strength made you a stubborn brat.” He nudged her softly to let her know that he wasn’t trying to be an ass.

She chuckled a little through the tears before her expression returned to that of sadness. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have anything left to say. She’d already forcefully exploded her thoughts right into her mentor’s face.

Fang didn’t want to sound mean but decided he was going to try and settle this. “You made a mistake… A few, actually. And you have seen several dire consequences. But you also managed to form an alliance! Do not forget what you were successful in doing. I hope this opens you up more and, if I can be a bit selfish, I hope you and I can work through our issues. I have never wanted to be a burden or a trouble to you.”

“You’re not a burden, Fang…” the skunk choked out. “You’re like a father. You’re needed here more than I am. You’re patient and understanding, while I’m just stubborn and controlling.” She moved a little closer to him and again dropped her head to his chest.

“You’re not… Well, no, you are actually difficult at times.” He paused and held Ruby closer. “But you wouldn’t be my little general if you weren’t stubborn like a dragon.” He chuckled softly as he rubbed her head and made sure she drank her drink.

She chuckled at being called his ‘little general’. That was a nickname he hadn’t used to refer to her in gods-knew-how-long. She finally pulled herself off of him, sat down again, and took a long sip of her tea.

“Feel a little better?” He asked. “It’s always so great to see you smile or laugh.”

She nodded very slowly. “I’ll have to forgive myself one day for what I let happen to Vip… but today is not that day. For now, I think I’ll retire to my quarters. I don’t deserve a celebration right now.”

“If it pleases you, I could keep an eye on the commander and Victoria, make stay entertained.”

“That reminds me.” Ruby reached into her pocket and pulled out an unusual-looking coin. “Your old buddy Lord Saxon asked me to take Lucian out drinking. I’m clearly in no state to visit a bar. Would you mind taking him out tonight?”

Fang happily took the coin. “Of course. Get some rest and tomorrow will be a better day.” Fang took a low bow and opened the door for Ruby so she could head to her own room. Fang closed his door and started back to the common area.

———

In the common room, Victoria was clearly getting tipsy. She leaned over in her seat to give Lucian a kiss on the cheek, but slipped and fell face-first into his chest, prompting her to laugh her ass off.

Lucian’s tolerance was much greater and he was drinking slowly. “My, my! Someone is enjoying herself!” He laughed and sat her up on his lap. “Maybe you should—” Lucian stopped talking and sniffed the air. He frantically looked around the room before quickly saying, “We need to go.”

Victoria caught on to his change in demeanor and started to panic slightly. “What? Babe, what’s up?” She looked around as well to see what could be frightening him. The only recent addition to the room that she could see was Fang.

Fang smiled and walked closer, trying to think of the proper way to greet the commander. As Fang approached, however, he could see that Lucian was staring at him with an intensity and anger that he couldn’t understand.

Lucian stared at the dragon and whispered to Victoria. “Why is there a Draconian here?” Though his anger was suppressed it was clearly there.

She turned her head. “You’re talking about Master Fang?” she asked Lucian. “He helps Ruby in training us all. What’ve you got against him?!”

Fang, who was still several steps away, heard the low growl coming from the sergal. He could see now that Lucian was gripping his sword handle tight. He would have frozen in place, but he worried for Victoria’s safety, so he continued cautiously.

“They’re masters here too! Why am I just now learning this?!” Lucian growled not as to offer a challenge, but as to warn the dragon that he was ready to defend himself. Lucian held Victoria protectively, scared for her safety.

She tried to free herself from his grasp, her claws extending. “What’s your problem, Lucian?!” she shouted at him. She grabbed the arms that held her in place and gently pressed her claws into them, careful not to draw blood.

Lucian looked at Victoria. He could tell she was confused, but not worried as he was. He lightened his grip. “You… You vouch for him?”

Something in Lucian’s eyes told Victoria that he was scared. Though this was a very new emotion for her to witness on a sergal, she ignored it, opting to rip herself out of the arms he had wrapped around her. She was careful to retract her claws before doing so, afraid of scratching him. “Yes!” she exclaimed once she was free. “What's your problem?”

The commotion from the two lovers got everyone in the common room to turn and look. Lucian seemed the most embarrassed by the scene they had caused, but perhaps that was just because Victoria was too drunk to notice everyone’s eyes on her. Lucian looked up at Fang. “Victoria… I have told you about how my species were once slaves, but not who our masters were… Our masters were the Draconians.”

Fang was by far the calmest out of the three. He allowed him to talk and Victoria to react as she saw fit.

“Well, Fang didn’t do that!” she told Lucian as she stood up from her chair. She drunkenly wobbled on her feet for a moment before regaining her balance. “Fang is a good guy. He didn’t enslave your people.”

“I… Alright. You don’t understand, though, how smelling his scent affected me. I wasn’t going to do anything; I was just worried that you were in danger.”

Fang took a seat in front of him, making sure to keep his hands visible. “How long ago for your people was this?”

“We broke free and destroyed the kingdom 17 years ago… I was a very young man, but I still bear many scars from growing up with them. Smelling you brought all those old feelings back. Forgive me for getting defensive…”

“Fang would never do that to anybody. Right, Fang?” Victoria defended her mentor, rubbing Lucian’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

Fang appreciated the gesture and patted her hand. “While I might not support those actions, there was a time when the dragon clan was very brutal. We felt we were owed something… owed everything. It is not difficult for me to imagine that a kingdom built on this same philosophy would take another species as slaves like they took Lucian’s.” Fang gave a small bow. “My clan was nearly wiped out and we were left with little choice but to join this kingdom. There are only a few of us, but you do not need to be on edge. We are not the ones that hurt you.”

Lucian seemed hesitant but nodded. “Thank you for understanding. I wasn’t expecting that scent, is all. Brings back powerful memories…”

With the situation seemingly defused, Victoria exhaled a sigh of relief before turning to the dragon. “So, what made you finally decide to join us, Fang?”

“Ruby has retired for the night and asked me to take you both out in her stead. Would you like that?”

Not even looking over to her boyfriend first, Victoria enthusiastically replied, “Yes!” Though not quite on Ruby’s level, the big cat was happy to overindulge in alcohol when she got the chance, and she hadn’t yet had her fill for the night. “Why’d the general want to take us out anyway?”

“Well, um… How to put this…” Fang thought of how to phrase his answer, but Lucian just chuckled.

“It’s to keep me happy and make sure everything keeps going smoothly, right?”

“More or less, that’s correct,” Fang said.

Lucian looked at Victoria, smiling at her enthusiasm. “She certainly seems eager. I would love to join you, Fang.”

“Yay!” the girl cheered. “Let me grab my coin purse,” she said as she stood up.

“No, no! This is a political excursion, so it’s all paid for.” Fang held up the platinum coin given to him by Ruby and laughed.

Lucian smiled and stood as well, taking Victoria’s hand and nodding to the dragon. “Ready to go when you are then!”


	15. Tiffany’s Premonition

“So, where are you taking us again?” Victoria asked Fang as they walked down the street. “Tina’s something?”

“Tiffany’s Rest. It’s one of the nicest taverns in town, with a live band, dancers, as well as Tiffany herself… Man, it’s been too long since I’ve been to see her perform.” Fang said almost dreamily. The three of them made their way to the expensive, high-end district.

“Sounds nice,” Lucian commented. “As a culture, we sergals don’t have much in the way of rest and relaxation…” Lucian didn’t mind the looks he got as he walked the city’s streets. He only really cared about Victoria’s opinion of him.

Victoria slowed her walking down some so she could get behind Lucian, then playfully began massaging his shoulders. “Well maybe you deserve a chance to actually relax!” she said, excited to offer the experience to him.

The relaxing sensation of the massage almost made him stop walking. Lucian let out a small, happy moan. “Oh my, that feels amazing! You’re the best.”

Fang looked back at the two and smiled. It was sweet to see Victoria so happy with someone. “Aah, look! We are here!”

The outside of the building had a massive unicorn rearing up with bright, colorful letters that read ‘Tiffany’s Rest’. Music and song spilled into the outside air from inside the building. There were also a fair number of guards outside. Upon closer inspection, they seemed to be private guards—the type that usually just high-ranking officials hired for their own protection.

Victoria let go of her boyfriend’s shoulders and moved a little closer to Fang as they neared the entrance. “So who even is this Tiffany anyway?” she asked him in a low voice as they got close to the guards.

“Oh, you will see. I am not spoiling that when we are so close. Just do your old master a favor, ok? Don’t get as drunk as Ruby and cause a scene!” He nudged Victoria with a laugh and headed for the entrance.

Lucian brought up the rear, keeping an eye on all the soldiers around them. He had to remind himself that he was safe, and not in a combat zone. Unless in bed with a mate, sergals never really felt safe.

A massive bull blocked the door for the three and huffed. “You aren’t on the list…”

Fang growled up at him. “Need me to help you remember, cow?!”

They stared at each other. A tension hovered over the two of them before they laughed and clasped arms. “Good to see you, old friend. You’re just in time. Tiffany’s getting ready now. You got a coin to come in?”

Fang handed over the platinum coin and the bull nodded. “Ready?” Fang turned around, smiling at the two others.

Victoria watched, mouth agape, as the dragon handed off the only piece of coinage they’d brought with them to the tavern. “Fang!” she whispered. “That's the entrance fee? How are we going to pay for drinks?!” She stayed close by his side, holding Lucian’s paw as they passed the intimidating bull guarding the door.

“Oh, that’s the fee for everything. Everything you order is free. Well, getting yourself company will cost you, but I figured… Well, you know…” He gestured to Victoria and Lucian’s hand holding. “You won’t need any romantic distractions. But if you do need anything, I have money, so don’t worry.”

The tavern was filled, but not overcrowded. One man and two women dressed in equally sexy yet formal outfits escorted the group to a table on the second floor overlooking the stage. Instead of one waiter, they each were approached by a different one. Acting just flirty enough to still be professional, each asked their respective customer what they would like to eat or drink.

As if personally selected, a big, scaly woman came up to Fang. It was difficult to pin down exactly what she was—some mix of kobold and crocodile, perhaps. Scaly, dark green skin with small, raised bumps ran from her head to the top of her tail. She was a rare and exotic woman to behold. The lizard lady lightly grazed Fang’s arm as she leaned in a bit close. She spoke low so only he could hear. “Master Fang… It’s been a while.”

“Sapphire, beautiful as ever! How sweet of you to be my server tonight! I’ll have my usual tea mixed with the strong wine I love, please.”

“Of course, hon. Rest those muscles of yours for a while.” She walked away, but not before running her carefully trimmed claws over his exposed arm. She walked away from the dragon with a smirk.

“Well, hello there, gorgeous,” came a suave voice off to Victoria’s side. She turned, and there stood a tall shepherding dog with tan fur everywhere over his body save for the snout, ears, and seemingly his back too, which were all blsck. He wore an immaculately fitted tuxedo. Victoria was just barely able to stop herself from gasping at the sight of the extraordinarily handsome man.

“Oh, h-hello,” she said, not quite having been prepared to be spoken to before she could even sit down. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she saw that Fang was dealing with a similar advance.

“My, I love your fur,” the man said despite the sergal right next to her, whose hand she was still holding. “Gray is definitely your color. Can I get you anything to drink?”

‘Gods’, Victoria thought, ‘is this seriously how all the waiters act?’ “Um, a glass of wine, please,” she replied. “Red.”

He grinned, and Victoria noticed he held no notepad for use in recording her order, making this situation feel all the more intimate and personal. “Coming right up, beautiful.” The canine walked off.

Lucian turned to his girlfriend as if about to ask what that was all about, but he was cut off as a black cat in an elegant dress approached him. The dress was long and black as her fur, but with each step her legs came exposed thanks to a slit down the center of it.

“My gods, you’re an unfamiliar sight,” came her sultry voice, drawing the attention of both the sergal and his mate. She began feeling up the impressive muscles of his shoulder. “So, what are—?”

Victoria shoved the other cat’s paws off Lucian’s body, extending her own claws once successfully removing the other woman from him. Perhaps it was just because this was her first ever true relationship, but the snow leopard felt rather attached to and protective about her boyfriend. “He’ll have a wine too,” Victoria hissed, her long tail slowly lashing back and forth and her fur standing on end down her back.

After collecting herself, Lucian’s waitress, clearly getting the message, nodded to the leopard and headed off.

Fang gave a quick cough at Victoria, drawing her attention to him. “Corporal… I understand your attachment to the commander, but she was only trying to make him feel welcome.” Despite Fang’s slight chastising, he still smiled as no harm was truly done.

Lucian however reacted much differently. He was quite grateful the table blocked the Fang’s view of his crotch. Having Victoria act so defensive of him really did something for the sergal. He coughed and just lightly kissed Victoria’s hand, watching her claws retract. “She holds no flame to you, my dear.”

“I know,” she chuckled a little as she calmed down, settling back into the seat. “I hope you weren’t bothered by my waiter. Dogs aren’t really my type anyway.”

She looked over to Master Fang. “Is that what’s supposed to make this place fancy?” she asked. “The servers flirt with you?”

Fang shrugged, a small smile on his face. “A small part of it. Take a good look around for me. Tell me what you see.” Fang leaned forward.

She looked around the establishment. Lucian did as well, but he had even less of an idea of what to look for than she did. After a few moments, Victoria said, “I don't know… The decor? I do recognize a few admirals and captains from the military. Is this just where they all hang out and drink?”

“The beautiful women and men here are part of the charm. They are all more than happy to serve your every request. If you behave and ask nicely, they will probably even go home with you, but it’s ultimately up to them. If you look behind you, there are two generals. On the first floor we have several other nobles. Even some of the best performers from the local theater come here. The drinks are the best, the food is exotic! Ask your servers for anything and they will provide. In the end, though, people come here to see Tiffany… Years ago you could pay gold to hear her perform, but demand became so great that rules were made and this establishment was created. This is, in effect, the kingdom’s reward to those who earn it.”

Fang smiled as Sapphire came back and set the steaming tea before him. There was a clear interest between the two that went beyond simple flirting. Before she walked away she gave him a small rub on his shoulder. Dragons were difficult to massage, but the big woman seemed to relax a nerve easily and Fang sighed, relaxed. “Enjoy your tea, Master Fang. Give me a wave should you require me.” With that she turned, letting her tail rub on his as she strutted away.

Victoria tried to wrap her head around the concept. So this pub was a combination of a tavern, a restaurant, a brothel, and a theatre? And on top of that, the servers are essentially servants to the patrons?

Victoria shuddered a little as she watched the much older man clearly get aroused by their server. She of course wasn’t against the idea of Fang having sexual feelings, but it was a little awkward to see a man she’d always looked up to behave so flirtatiously.

Just as she averted her gaze, she could see the dog and cat coming to deliver her and Lucian’s drinks. After setting down the wine, the black cat quickly turned to speed away in an attempt to avoid Victoria’s jealous wrath, she stopped her. “Hey,” the snow leopard called out. “Um, my boyfriend here would like a shoulder massage. Could you do that for him?” She wanted to verify whether what Fang said about the waiters acting as servants was true.

The black cat looked at Lucian and then at Victoria. “As you wish, Miss. I would happily help him relax.” She turned and walked back to Lucian, flexing and stretching her paws in preparation. “With or without claws, sir?”

Lucian looked over at Victoria to make sure it was ok before saying softly, “Claws would be preferred, though my shirt would get ruined.”

“Oh you can lose the shirt if you’d—”

“No, no. Uh, without them, please.”

Fang drank a gulp of his wine, the taste stronger and aged better than anything he’d had before.

The cat laughed softly and began rubbing. Her technique was clearly professional and trained as she loosened up Lucian’s shoulders. Though she was very touchy, Victoria could tell that the cat wasn’t being inappropriate. Lucian looked more relaxed than he had in all the time Victoria had known him. “Victoria, you should enjoy one as well!” he suggested.

She eyed the shepherd dog who’d been standing off to the side, waiting to tend to any of Victoria’s needs. “Alright,” she agreed to Lucian and beckoned the waiter over. “Same as he's getting,” she said, pointing at her boyfriend and the cat once her server was within earshot. He quickly got to work on Victoria’s shoulders. Although unable to retract his claws, they weren’t nearly as sharp as a cat’s.

The canine started Victoria’s massage at her neck, rubbing firmly all the pressure points he could find. He then worked his way down her shoulders and upper back, everything soon feeling loose and stress-free.

A decadent Victoria took a sip of her wine as she relaxed back into her seat. She let out a heavy sigh of relaxation after she set her glass back down. Her eyes now shut, she began thinking about this establishment they were in. Had they simply presumed that their entire party was straight when they walked through the door and sent waiters of the opposite sex accordingly? Was every server expected to perform acts for either sex, if requested? She wondered how someone of the same persuasion as her general would fare inside Tiffany’s Rest.

Victoria popped one eye open as she continued to enjoy her massage. “Hey, Fang?” she said. “Does Ruby ever come here?”

“No, actually. This would’ve been her first time. Oh, and before I forget, you can request a different server. Unless you know someone and have a usual, like myself, you are free to state your preference and they won’t be upset or offended.” Seeing both Victoria and Lucian enjoy their massages, he was tempted to call Sapphire back. He held off, however, not wanting to seem unprofessional in their company.

He took a long sip of his tea and sighed happily. “I can tell you all about anything else that you want to know. We still have a few minutes before the show starts.”

Lucian stayed quiet, but Victoria asked, “What’s so great about Tiffany? Is she just a really good singer?”

Fang, as well as their two servers, couldn’t help but stifle a small laugh. “Yes and no,” Fang answered. “Her voice is beautiful, mesmerizing, as well as pure magic… You’ll understand when you see her, but her song affects everyone differently, and on a very personal level.”

The dog server leaned down a bit to speak. “She enchants and cleanses the heart. Soldiers feel at peace and the horrors of battle fade. No one forgets the first performance.”

“Gods, if that’s true, I feel like we badly need to take Ruby and Sam here sometime. They both had to deal with Vip’s death in person…” Victoria, of course, still held on to the trauma of being declawed as well as having her fingers grow back. She hoped Tiffany’s song could cleanse her of that experience.

Lucian couldn’t even begin to imagine what this would do to him. He drank a bit more and handed the empty glass to the cat. “Please, one more. I’d like something strong… I’ll have what Fang is having.”

The cat bowed and left. Candles were being lit all over the room seemingly in preparation for the show. The stage was cleared and an ornate, throne-like chair was placed in the center of the stage.

Seeing as the show was starting soon, Victoria looked over her shoulder and said to the canine, “That’s enough, thank you.” She sat up in her chair and looked over to Fang. “So, does this Tiffany woman use magic or something to heal people?” she asked.

Fang nodded. “Yes, though it’s hard to explain. Experiencing it is the only real way to understand.” Fang smiled as his gaze drifted around the room, casually stopping to gaze at his server before looking back to the stage.

The cat returned and placed the new glass of tea down for Lucian, who nodded and started to sip. Immediately after, he looked at it in surprise and laughed. “You must know how to handle a drink, Fang! This stuff is very strong, yet calming with the tea.” Lucian smiled at Victoria before turning his head to watch a small group of musicians set up in front of the stage.

Victoria sat in silence. As the boys talked about drinking, she watched as the musicians got set up. One brought with her a harp, another had a shamisen. Yet another carried a flute. A grand piano—the only instrument seemingly allowed to share the stage with Tiffany—had already been resting on the stage. Its player sat down on the bench behind it, slightly hiding himself from the audience. Victoria knew none of these musicians could be Tiffany, however, as an elegant chair placed in the center of the stage seemed reserved for the star herself. Victoria was certainly curious what she’d look like after all this presentation.

A very well-dressed canine in an expensive suit came on stage and made his way to the center. He had all-black fur and honey-golden eyes. “Greetings guests on this fine night! I am Dorian, as many of you know, the caretaker of this establishment. Tiffany has asked me to personally welcome two guests this evening into our midst. Corporal Victoria Wildheart, and Commander Lucian of House Red, ambassador to the sergal army! On this night, our great lady welcomes you!” Claps and cheers filled the room as eyes turned to their table. Even Fang clapped for the two.

Victoria nearly choked on the sip of wine she was taking as her name was unexpectedly called out in front of everyone. She hurriedly set the glass back down as she looked around at all those clapping for her. As the applause died down, she leaned over the table to whisper to Fang, “What the hell? Did you tell them we’re here?”

He shook his head. “No, and I didn’t give them your names. Perhaps she simply knew. Magic is strange and powerful, and for someone like her… Who knows the limits!” Fang spoke honestly and smiled, looking back at the stage.

Dorian was waiting for everything to calm before he continued. “Our lady Tiffany is ready to perform. Remember please that no one is to try and stop her for conversation or otherwise bother her during her performance. Punishment is to be escorted out immediately.”

“…Is that really necessary?” Victoria whispered to Fang. “Do people really try to bother her mid-performance all that often?” She waited to see the lady herself.

“You’d be surprised. Let’s just watch for now. It’s just about…” Before he could finish there was the slow pull of a violin. A few sweet notes played as the one who must have been Tiffany walked out onto the stage. No sound but her music filled the air as she moved to her chair and sat right on the edge. Her beautiful tail, wrapped in a tight braid, trailed behind her and around her waist as she scooted back and got comfortable. Her beautiful black and green-accented vest was breathtaking. It was not meant to be sexy as the others in the establishment were, though it drew even more eyes to her nonetheless. Her hoofed feet softly tapped to a beat that the band picked up on. More instruments joined the melody, growing louder and stronger. Tiffany’s slender hands worked the strings in a way that was captivating. But the most drawing feature on this stunning equine was the singular horn on her head. Tiffany was a unicorn.

Victoria gasped as the star of the show walked out on stage. She’d never seen anyone like this before, and it was stunning. Her coat was a pristine white, but the snow leopard’s eyes were invariably drawn to the pointed horn protruding from the center of the performer’s skull. She didn’t think unicorns were real, yet here was one right now.

With how she played it was impossible to tell if this was one song or multiple pulled together. Lucian was beyond captivated, leaning forward in his seat and staring with wide eyes. Tiffany’s eyes were moving constantly from one person to the next. When her eyes met Lucian everything stopped for him. It was like time didn’t move. Emotions so strong were pulled from the depths of his soul up to the surface, and he felt cleansed, purely safe. Lucian was shocked when he felt a tear run down his cheek, but he didn’t wipe it away. He stared back at her and smiled.

Her gaze shifted then, the unicorn looking into Victoria’s eyes. The pain and weight of the past week seemed to vanish almost in an instant. A blanket of warmth and love fell upon her and enveloped Victoria whole. Everything seemed like it was going to be ok. The warmth coiled around her and for a second it felt like Viper was with her, telling the snow leopard that everything was ok and that nothing was her fault. Then the warmth spread to her womb and Victoria knew that she was with child. Though there were no words said out loud, Victoria felt the powerful woman speak directly to her. ‘In you is a great gift. Do not be afraid. Rejoice.’

Despite the panic she knew she should be feeling at such massive news, Victoria felt no worry at all. Something told her it would all be fine, and before too long she’d be giving birth to a healthy, happy baby. Though she’d never before given any serious thought to being a mother, aside from telling herself that she’d probably be one later in life, she suddenly felt like it was her duty to care for this young life. Preoccupations about the military and her career melted away.

She looked over at Lucian, who was still transfixed on the performance. Something told her not to worry about her job or her past anymore. Her only concern was to be with her lover and her baby. Perhaps this was something she’d secretly known all along, but had allowed to get repressed over the years. No longer.

Too soon the music faded and after a massive round of applause she bowed and headed off the stage. The cozy establishment had changed after such a performance. Everyone seemed to be holding on to someone, though there was nothing sensual to it. The comfort of holding someone seemed to be on everybody’s mind.

Victoria too found herself leaning on Lucian’s shoulder. She didn’t know if she should tell him about the news she’d telepathically received during the song. She just took a sip of her wine and waited.

Lucian put his arm around Victoria and softly whispered, “I never want to leave your side… I feel… safe. I feel complete here with you.” He softly kissed her forehead.

Fang was back to drinking his tea with Sapphire behind him. She spoke too quietly for anyone to hear, but Fang lightly held her hand and smiled at the scaly woman.

Victoria nodded slowly. “I… I feel the exact same way,” she whispered, starting to purr. Unconsciously she rested her hand on her belly.

Fang looked to the two lovebirds. “How are you two feeling? It looked like it had quite an effect on you.”

Victoria again nodded, this time to Fang. “It was a really good song…” she said softly.

Fang was smart enough to see that it had affected her strongly and poured the cat another drink before holding up his cup. “A toast! For all we have been through, for those we fight for, and for those we remember. A toast to the future, and to new friends and allies!” Lucian smiled and cheered, clinking his glass to Fang’s.

Victoria finally stopped leaning on her boyfriend and sat up straight. She raised the glass Fang had just poured for her and clinked it against the two men’s. “And a cheers to Vip specifically,” she added. “He was a good man taken too soon.” She then raised the glass to her lips and didn’t set it down again until it was empty.

Both did the same then poured another. The night continued on in good spirits. The strong liquor mixed with their refreshed emotions made everyone feel amazing and free to be themselves. Fang and Lucian seemed to really be bonding, nothing showing each other their numerous scars and explaining how they got them. Lucian always kept a hand on or around Victoria, but it wasn’t tight. He just wanted to show he was with her.

Lucian finished another glass and asked in a slightly buzzed voice. “Hey, Fang? I’m curious. For sergals, when we have kids, it’s almost always another sergal born. Is that how it is with your kind?”

Victoria looked over at Fang. She truly had no idea how breeding worked for the dragon, so she too was interested in hearing his answer.

“What an interesting question! When most races breed, there is about a half and half chance it will look like the mother or father, assuming we are talking about mixing species here. But dragons, if you believe the legends, are not a human-descendent species like the foxes, cats, canines, even lizards and skunks like you see all around our kingdom. We are our very own bloodline, so we can only mate with fellow dragons. The females lay small clutches of eggs. All other mating we may do with other species is purely recreational.” Victoria could see that Sapphire seemed to be listening in as well, but when spotted by the leopard she turned away quickly.

“How unique,” Lucian said. “For us, we always get sergal boys… well, and the very rare female. It’s the most rare to have offspring of a non-sergal species in our unions.”

“So…” Victoria said slowly to Lucian, “hypothetically, if you and I had a child, there’s a small chance it could be a snow leopard like me? What are the chances of that?”

“In recorded history it’s happened only four times, I believe… I’m sorry that it’s so rare. But you could get lucky and still have a girl! Oh, she would be beautiful…” Lucian said dreamily and with a smile.

She smiled. “Yeah, she would be… I just think it would be so cute if she or he had my eyes, or maybe my fur…”

“Well, that is definitely more likely! In fact, the fur pattern is usually from the female. So it’s very possible, beautiful!” He leaned in quickly and kissed her with a wide smile. “Could always have a few till you get a child you like,” he winked playfully.

“Oh, that would be adorable.” Victoria smiled wider before taking another sip of her alcohol. While they were making conversation, she thought of another question. “Fang, how old was Ruby when you met her?”

That made Fang smile. “Oh my… I met that little brat when she was only 13. Poor girl was an orphan. But gods, if she wasn’t fearless. For two weeks I had been noticing that rations had been going missing—enough for two people. I questioned everyone, but that led nowhere. I trusted my men to tell me if they had taken anything. So one night, I increased the number of guards on all entryways into the barracks except for one. I sat there waiting in the dark for the thief. When the little bandit showed up, I nearly laughed myself to death. This pudgy little skunk snuck in and started to take two full, adult rations. When she saw me, she hissed and sprayed me. Gods, what a smell! Lucky for me, dragons can close their nostrils, and I was able to capture her.” He smiled at the memories. It was clear that the general meant a great deal to him.

Victoria snickered at the retelling of the story, and Lucian laughed along with her too. “But even after stealing from you and spraying you, you took her in? Why didn’t you just hand her over to the constables?”

“That’s a very hard question to answer.” He sipped his drink and looked at the empty stage. “I saw a child that needed me. Well, one that needed someone—someone to help shape her into a fine adult. And let’s just say I have some heavy pull with the city officials. So after she was done trying to bite and scratch me and calling me every sort of slander possible, I offered her all the food she wanted if she would stay. I gave her that same room she is now in. We trained everyday for years. I’ve never been able to fully break her rough personality… but I’ll always be there for her. Even when she yells and screams at me. She’s my little general.” He raised his glass at that and took another shot.

Victoria couldn’t help but grin at the nickname he had for her. “That’s adorable… I had no idea she was an orphan, though. I guess a childhood like that kind of explains why she is, y’know, the way she is. Has she ever even known her parents?"

“I never got much out of an answer out of her about it. Maybe if you got closer with her you could ask her? I was kinda hoping that the two of you would become friendly. She needs a friend.” Fang thought for a moment. “‘Way she is’… You mean that Ruby’s kinda… rough, and likes making people afraid? Or that she prefers the company of women to men?”

“R-rough!” Victoria exclaimed. “I have no problem with her liking women! That’s totally fine!” She looked over to the side and slapped her boyfriend on the back for laughing at her as she sputtered. She really was trying her best not to come across as a bigot.

“Hey, love, I don’t mind at all who you like!” Lucian said. “Sergals are not picky. Bonding works with any species or sex.” Lucian snickered and let Victoria slap him.

Fang smiled and laughed as well. “Sorry for asking, Corporal! Just wanted to answer your question correctly!”

She shook her head, chuckling. “It’s fine, it’s fine.” She finished yet another glass of wine. She was starting to feel much more tipsy by now. “And sorry I couldn’t get much closer to Ruby on our mission. I spent more time than anticipated behind enemy lines.” She playfully scowled at Lucian.

Even though it was a joke, Lucian was forced to think of how he met her. He held her hand. “Well, next time don’t get captured by guards,” Lucian softly chuckled, hoping to move past this. “But, hey, you had a good conversation with her after we were attacked by gnolls!”

Fang glared. “You were attacked by gnolls? But more importantly, you had an actual conversation with Ruby?”

“We were,” she said to Fang. “Ruby sprayed some to scare them off while Lucian and I fought off the others.” She intentionally omitted the part about her savagery in the battle, opting to take another heavy drink of alcohol. “But, yes, she and I talked. It was a good talk, but I wouldn't say it made us friends… We mostly just talked about my mating with Lucian the previous night. Oh, and she called me pretty, too.” Lucian looked a bit smug when she was happy to say that the two of them had mated. Generally, Victoria was quite modest and embarrassed about her sex life—or lack thereof prior to this week—but drunkenness had allowed her to open up some.

Fang half choked but laughed at how open you were. “Well, it’s progress! I am hoping that only improves. I just want her to be able to lighten up with someone.”

She thought about what Fang had just said. It dawned on her that, besides Fang, Ruby had next to nobody she could be emotionally vulnerable with. She had dozens of soldiers who were required to respect her and listen to her orders, but she had nobody to just be a person with. For years, Victoria had told herself that Ruby probably had a girlfriend, or somebody she could talk to when she needed. But then she realized how readily Ruby took off on an indefinitely long mission. She had no one tying her to home.

She was starting to feel genuinely depressed for her general when she caught a glimpse of someone she wanted to talk to near the stage. She turned back to her table. “Gimme a second. I want to talk to someone, then we can go,” she told them, scooting her chair back and standing up. She’d lost sight of the unicorn in the moment she turned away, but Victoria was determined to find her again.

After descending to the main floor, Victoria was approached by the intimidating Dorian, who was a good foot taller than her. “Miss Victoria… You seem to be looking for someone, yes?"

She nodded timidly. “Miss Tiffany, yes.” She didn’t want to explain why she was seeking her out, feeling too embarrassed to admit that it was all because she heard a voice in her head during the song. With Tiffany and Mother Vivian, the poor girl felt like there were just too many women telepathically communicating with her as of late.

“As it happens, I have good news. Tiffany’s asked me to get you specifically. This must be a very special night for you.” Dorian smiled, making him seem far less frightening. “Shall we go?”

She nodded, “Of course.” She followed the dog wherever he was going.

The two walked through a small, easily missed door next to the stage and down a short hallway. Stopping in front of a door, he knocked and got Tiffany’s voice, soft and sweet, in response. “You may enter, Victoria…”

She was unnerved to hear her name called by an unseen figure, but she nonetheless turned the handle, walked in, and closed the door behind her.

When Victoria turned back around and looked around the room, it was a beautiful sight. Everything had a wild sense of nature to it. Vines ran along the walls. There was a beautiful, small fountain in the center that made the room feel like there was a river close by. Flowers were on every dresser and table, most of which Victoria had never seen before. Across the room, sitting like a queen in her beautiful dress, was Tiffany. A modest cup of water was in her hands as she smiled at Victoria. “How nice to meet you, child. How may I help you?”

The leopard did her best to overcome the sense of shock as she walked into the room. It was like she had just stepped out of a tavern and into a jungle. To say the least, it was not what she’d expected.

“Y-yes,” she said, stepping forward. “I thought I heard you while you performed. I mean, not just your song. I thought I heard you… in my head.” She hoped to the gods that she didn’t just sound like a crazy person.

“You heard me in a way, yes.” She waved her hand slowly, beckoning Victoria to come closer and sit down in a chair beside her. “My song speaks to many people in many ways. I connect myself to people and help them find peace and comfort.” Tiffany had a sweet smile, but her horn was still what drew Victoria’s eye.

Victoria slowly sat down. The chair she sat in was exceptionally comfortable. “So… You know what your song said to me?” she asked. “And that’s how you knew I’d want to come talk to you after the show?”

“I could tell that you were eager. I like to watch the crowd after my show, and I could tell that, if given the chance, you would come to me.” She slowly sipped. It was nearly impossible for Victoria to determine her age. She looked middle aged but held herself like she was an elderly noble, sitting proper and speaking softly.

Victoria nodded despite the singer not answering her first question. Victoria decided to answer it for her. “Your song told me I’m pregnant,” she finally said. “Is it true?”

“Oh, yes, very true. I can feel life around me—a person’s aura, if you will. Lucians was so dark and confused, and I helped him forgive himself. When I went to ease your pain as well, I could feel the life forming inside you.” She looked at her and smiled. “Does that worry you?"

“A-a little,” she said, wiping a tear that she didn’t even know had formed out of her eye. The stress of having a baby finally came crashing down on her once being confirmed by the lady in-person. “I-I’m only 19…” she said, still trying to keep it together. “My general will be furious…” she muttered, looking down in her lap.

“A new, wonderful life is formed… and your fear goes straight to Ruby.” The unicorn laughed softly. “My, my, so many thoughts of Ruby today. Many other days as well this woman makes so many afraid. Sometimes I feel as if I owe half my business to her for striking terror into so many of my patrons! You do know she has strong fears as well? Do not worry about her wrath. She is far more understanding than you know.”

Victoria was relieved to hear that she shouldn’t worry about the skunk’s fury when the time came to break the news to her. When she heard of Ruby’s fears, however, her interest was piqued. She remembered how Fang had just minutes ago told her that the general could use a close friend, so she considered this a good opportunity to learn more about her. Victoria leaned in a little closer, “What does Ruby fear?”

“It would be a guess as I’ve never met her, but let’s just say I understand people very well…” She took a small sip and sighed. “She fears being forgotten—to build up a relationship, a friendship, and to have it all come crashing down. She fears being pushed aside like she was when her mother left her at the orphanage all that time ago.”

“…Wow,” Victoria said, leaning back in her seat. She nodded. “Ok, I understand. Was there anything else you wanted to tell me, or did everything come out in the song?”

“Oh, there’s nothing I wanted to tell you. I was simply happy to share. Life is a funny thing. Perhaps you have a question I may be able to answer. Ask me whatever you wish. Who knows when you’ll have the chance to again, young one?” Tiffany adjusted her position in her chair to face Victoria a bit more, clearly enjoying this pleasant chat.

“Gods, I can ask whatever I want?” She wasn’t prepared for this, a chance to ask an effectively psychic woman about her future, her desires, anything. She decided to ask possibly the most dire question applicable. “An evil sergal army, still yet to come, will be attacking Kas Ragnoc soon. How will we fare?”

“Oh my! A bold and direct question!” Tiffany stood, her steps silent as she walked to her fountain and gently touched the water. “I could test my gaze against the Mothers of House Black, but that would be a challenge even for me. The three Mothers are so strong…” She closed her eyes and began to make small circles in the water, muttering. “The outcome is still unclear but there will indeed be a battle. Should our alliance with the other houses and tribes continue, the odds tip in our favor. But I can feel a sickly plot brewing from House Black…”

Impatient, and perhaps drunk, Victoria felt like she had to know. “What is it?” she demanded, standing up and walking closer to the equine. “If we can foresee it, we can subvert it!”

Tiffany was struggling. While her hand was in the water, Victoria began to see a black spot forming from the bottom like a dark mist.

Victoria waited and waited, staring into the water and growing more and more impatient. She incorrectly presumed that the black mist was a normal part of the premonition process. “Come on, what is it?” she again blurted out, anxious to hear the answer.

The black mist started to swirl, taking up more and more of the water. “A… plague! They are going to unleash a plague on our alliance!” Tiffany was just about to pull her hand out of the water when the mist, quick as lightning, covered her hand.

Victoria’s eyes widened. Everyone of Kas Ragnoc knew about the devastation disease could bring. Decades ago, as a city not terribly concerned with sanitation, a plague had swept through the capital. Carried by fleas, it debilitated many but left a majority alive, albeit with some horrible scarring. Since then, dozens of bathhouses had been erected and citizens were encouraged to bathe regularly to avoid affliction with the itchy mites.

A voice neither of the two had ever heard before suddenly laughed a low cackle. It was feminine, old, powerful. “What is this? A nosy unicorn looking into my plans?” Tiffany groaned out and tried to pull harder, cursing in an ancient tongue.

She could tell that Tiffany needed her help. Victoria jumped behind the older woman, grabbed her arm with both hands, and began to pull as hard as she could to free her from the sinister grasp.

When Victoria’s hands touched the water, red began to flow around with the black. At first both women thought it was blood, but that possibility quickly faded as Victoria heard a familiar voice. “You have no hold here, sister!” Vivian, the Red Mother, was with Victoria, and their combined strength pulled Tiffany’s hand free from the water. All the yelling and hissing of the sergal Mothers stopped at once.

Victoria and Tiffany breathed heavily, trying to catch their breath once the unicorn was free. “What…” Victoria panted, ”the hell… was that?”

“I tried to tell you, child. The Mothers of House Black are terribly powerful. They consort with dark creatures and draw power from the most vile of things. We were lucky only one saw me… You were as well lucky for having the Red Mother on your side… If you didn’t, you would have lost your hand the moment you touched that black mist.” Tiffany looked very tired and was holding on to Victoria’s arm.

She chuckled. “Heh, I feared for a moment I’d accidentally extended my claws and started slicing you, and the red in the water was your blood. Thanks, I guess, Mother Vivian…” Victoria rubbed her wrist.

‘See? I’m not so bad, am I? Lovely, I am.’ Victoria could’ve sworn she felt a slight squeeze on her butt followed by a small laugh as the tingling sensation in her head faded away.

Even Tiffany was laughing slightly. It seemed as if she was able to pick up on Vivian’s mental communications. “I hope I was able to help some. Though I hope next time we stick to some light gossip instead of spying on terrible things!”

She nodded enthusiastically. “I-I’ll need to drink a lot more to get over the horror of a supernatural mist nearly enveloping the lady I was talking to and cutting my hand off… But for the time being, I guess I should get back to the barracks and tell Ruby about what you’ve just seen so that she may begin making preparations with the higher-ups… Thank you, Miss Tiffany,” Victoria said with a bow. “You’ve been a massive help… with more than just intel.”

The tall woman placed both hands on Victoria’s shoulders and gave her a small kiss on the head. It wasn’t common, but this was a very old way to say farewell, especially to a friend. “Enjoy the rest of your evening. If you need me in the future, just talk to Dorian and he will tell you if I am free.”

Victoria nodded. “Thank you,” she said one more time before leaving. After leaving the room and shutting the door, she muttered under her breath, “Fucking magic, man…” She made her way over to Lucian and Fang before heading home to report the news to their general.

After returning home that night, Victoria immediately sought out Ruby so that she could tell her, Fang, and Lucian all at once what she’d just learned from Tiffany. Though skeptical at first, Ruby doubted her corporal would blatantly lie to her about the experience. She promised the cat that she would go to the palace early the next day to tell them about the premonition of a plague. The four of them then all headed off to bed, Lucian occupying the spare bed in the women’s bunk room.

———

‘You’re not using this, are you?’

‘…’

‘Very well. I’ll just slide right in here, and…’

Ruby was awoken by the light of the hallway’s lanterns illuminating her bedroom. She groaned and rubbed her eyes to see who was standing in her doorway.

It was Victoria. She was immediately recognizable by her silhouette, the little curl at the end of her tail being the most identifiable feature. She was just standing there, looking at Ruby, saying nothing.

“What do you need, Corporal?” the skunk asked, sitting up and resting her weight on the palms of her hands.

Victoria didn’t say anything even after a good several seconds.

“Victoria?” Perhaps she’s sleepwalking, Ruby thought. She just hoped the snow leopard wouldn’t act out any violent sentiments she harbored for her general. Finally, the girl stepped inside, but still said nothing at all. Ruby started to fear the girl really was sleepwalking, or maybe even planned on hurting the general for some slight against her in the past.

As Ruby raised her tail, Victoria finally spoke, though in a voice that was not her own. “Careful, General…” a sensual tone came out of the leopard’s mouth. “Best not to wake the girl…”

She’d heard that voice before. “Vivian?” she whispered.

“That’s right…”

“How are you—?”

“Turns out, when a body gets drunk or tired enough, it becomes so easy to just… take control of it. At least for a little while.” The possessed leopard moved to sit down on the edge of Ruby’s bed. “I was thinking you and I could pick up where we left off…”

“You mean me spraying you for what you did to the girl you’re currently inside? Sorry, but I wouldn’t do that to Victoria.”

‘Victoria’ threw her head back, laughing. “No, you adorable little skunk.” She crawled across the bed to get closer to Ruby. “I meant this…” Taking the general’s jaw in her hand, she pulled the other girl in a little closer and planted a kiss on her lips. Vivian, as it turned out, was a bit of a rough kisser, biting down with some force on Ruby’s lower lip.

Ruby was, of course, taken aback. She had picked up on some amount of flirtiness coming from the Den Mother while inside her tent, but she had assumed that was just how the woman treated everyone she encountered.

Finally, the skunk was able to pull out of the kiss. “This is sick,” she told the sergal behind Victoria’s eyes. “She’s just a girl, and you’re possessing her just to satisfy your own desires?”

“ _ Our _ own desires,” Ruby was corrected. “I saw the way you looked at me… and I’ve been secretly observing how you look at this young woman.” The snow leopard sat up straight. “You’re right. She is rather pretty, isn’t she?” She removed Victoria's shirt, leaving her chest wrapped in just a ribbon of cloth tied around her back, meant to keep her breasts from jiggling too greatly when moving.

“Gods, Vivian—!”

“What, Ruby?” she cut her off in a playfully mischievous tone. “Isn’t she just gorgeous?” She started to fondle her own tits.

Ruby had to admit to herself that Victoria was exceptionally attractive. Her boobs, when fitted into a traditional brassiere, had to be at least D-cups. Her figure, while slim and incredibly fit overall, curved inwards toward her waist before sliding out again around her hips. Her long, white-gray hair, though usually tied up in a bun, hung down to her chest as she sat before General Ruby now.

Ruby swallowed hard before continuing. “You’re not my corporal,” she said. “You can’t make decisions for her. You know that Victoria’s straight, right?”

“I do… mostly. But whoever said she has to know?” Vivian asked before leaning in closer. She whispered in the skunk’s ear, “It’ll just be our little secret…”

Ruby had been persuaded. She chose not to fight off the magic sergal’s advances as Vivian began kissing her neck and gently pushing her back into her pillows. Ruby didn’t stop it as the kissing slowly made its way down her neck and onto her chest. She didn’t stop as she felt a paw run up her thigh. When she felt herself reaching to untie Victoria’s chest wrappings, however, she finally remembered how wrong this was.

“No!” she growled as she shoved the woman off of her, the body landing on the other end of her bed. She snarled at her in an attempt to convince Vivian to back off. When the eyes looked up at her again, however, they weren’t as confident and sexy as they’d been just a second ago. They were confused and terrified.

“R-Ruby?” came the girl’s true voice, one that was terrified to see her general making such an angry face at her.

She immediately dropped the hostile expression, rushing over to Victoria to hug the frightened cat, not yet saying a word.

A voice spoke in Victoria’s head. ‘Dammit! Just as things were heating up… Well, I guess I’ll have more opportunities in the future… Good luck sorting this one out, Victoria. Oh, and congratulations, by the way…’ The tingling sensation in her head now gone and once again alone with Ruby, Victoria began to cry.

Ruby pulled out of the hug but kept her hands on Victoria’s shoulders. “No, Victoria, don’t cry!” she said, wiping away the tears with the fur of her arm. “You didn’t do anything wrong. That nasty Vivian woman possessed you. She said she can only do it when you’re drunk or exhausted, so you  have nothing to worry about most of the—”

“It’s not that,” Victoria interrupted, sobbing. “General, I—I’m…” She sniffled. “I’m pregnant!”

“W-what? But it’s only been a day! How could you possibly know?”

“That Tiffany woman, she told me…”

Ruby blinked a few times, just taking in this shocking news. She’d heard of Tiffany’s extraordinary abilities before, but had no idea she could detect pregnancies.

“Does… Does that mean I’m going to be an auntie?”

The two girls shared a laugh over the dumb joke.

“I don’t think so…” Victoria chuckled.

Ruby nodded. “Well then, we’ll have you checked out by a physician as soon as you start showing physical signs so you can get dismissed for maternal leave.” The skunk sighed, “As much as I would love keeping you around… we can’t be placing any undue stress on you or the baby.” She bent over, grabbed the shirt removed by Vivian off the floor, and handed it to Victoria. “Oh, and here’s this. Vivian removed that, for the record. Not me.”

“Heh, I believe you,” Victoria said as she slid it on over her head again. “So… you’re really not mad at me for getting pregnant?”

“What? Why would I be mad?” She playfully hit the leopard’s shoulder. “I mean, I’ll miss you on the training grounds. But no, I’m not mad. Are you mad at me for not slapping Vivian out of you sooner?”

“No, of course not. I mean, you did it the first chance you got, right?”

“Yep,” Ruby immediately said, even though it was a lie.

Victoria smiled. “Thanks, General.” She went in for another hug, which Ruby accepted. “First thing I’m doing once I’m on leave is going to Lightkeep.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Vivian said next time we see each other, she’ll remove herself from my head.”

Ruby pulled out of the hug. “Did she now… Well, why wait for maternal leave?”

“General…?”

“You heard me. It may be weeks before you start showing the external signs of pregnancy needed to excuse you from service. I’m sure I can think of a reason to get you back in Lightkeep sooner than a couple weeks.” Ruby smiled. “In fact, we could probably use more reconnaissance there real soon…” she added with a wink.

Victoria caught on to what her general was saying. “Thanks so much, General Ruby,” she said in a low whisper, as if someone else could possibly be listening in on them.

“No problem,” the skunk said with a smile.

“…General? May I ask one more favor of you?”

After a yawn, Ruby replied, “What is it, Wildheart?”

“Could… Could I cuddle with you?” She looked down, embarrassed to even ask the question.

“What?”

“I-I could really use some physical comfort right now. The beds in the bunk room are so small, Lucian and I can’t share a bed.”

“Corporal, I don’t know…”

“Please? I promise, it wouldn’t be sexual. I just… I kind of need someone to hold me right now.”

“But… if others find out, I'll be called unprofessional.”

Victoria sighed. “If you do this one thing for me, I’ll let the baby call you ‘Auntie Ruby’.”

That won her over. The skunk smiled. “Deal.”

Victoria smiled back before lying down facing away from Ruby. Ruby joined her on her side and wrapped an arm around the snow leopard. The leopard’s fur was more comfortable than any pillow the general had felt before, or even any woman, except for maybe a chinchilla she slept with once. “Comfortable?” Ruby asked.

“Mhm,” Victoria nodded and shut her eyes. The two of them soon fell asleep, Ruby’s paw on Victoria’s belly.


	16. Strange Bedfellows

Ruby inhaled deeply as she woke up. She was surprised at first when she took in the scent of another woman, but when she opened her eyes and saw Victoria’s gray fur she remembered what had happened the previous night. After gently removing her arm from around the young corporal, she slowly got out of bed, careful not to wake the girl on her way out of the room. After shutting the door softly behind her, she made her way down to the kitchen and started pressing some coffee for herself.

“Aah, morning, General…” Lucian was sitting alone at a table and drinking coffee. He looked like he had been up for a few hours. He sniffed a few times at Ruby but stayed quiet.

“Mornin’,” she lazily replied, still quite tired. She set a pot of water on the stove and lit the kindling underneath, warming the same pot of water Lucian had used to make his own coffee. “How’d you like sleeping in the barracks?”

“Not bad… Beds could be bigger.” He sipped his coffee. “How was Victoria? Was everything ok?” Ruby could feel him as he watched her that he had been up for hours thinking about that question.

“Victoria…” the skunk sighed. “It appears that when she’s drunk, your Den Mother can come along and possess her… She did that last night, so Victoria is resting in my bed now.”

“Oh gods dammit…” He hung his head and sighed. “Vivian must really want you bad. I’ve known my aunt to really push to get what she wants, but… damn, that’s a bit uncalled for. I’m sorry that happened…”

“It’s fine,” Ruby chuckled. “I pretty much just had to slap Victoria and she snapped out of it. She’s still uneasy though, so she asked to sleep with me.” She grinded her coffee beans for a short while before slowing down and pausing. “Wait, ‘aunt’? You mean the Den  _ Mother _ isn’t even your mother?”

Lucian took a long sip of coffee. “No. ‘Den Mother’ is more a title than anything. We do almost all have some sort or relation to a house, but very few are directly related to a Mother. So, yes, Vivian is my aunt.”

“I see, I see… So you’re the offspring of a male sergal and a female of some other species?”

“Indeed. In fact, that’s the case for the majority of our race. Very few Mothers will bond and mate with a male, as we would all be constantly fighting for one of them. So by generally agreeing not to compete with one another, we can thrive as a race.” He finished his cup and looked at the pot of coffee she was making. “Did you make enough for two?”

“Nope,” she chuckled as she mixed the coffee grounds with the hot water, “grind your own.” She sat down across the table from the sergal with a smug smile on her face.

“Fine… Probably wouldn’t make it like I want anyway.” Lucian smirked and got up, making himself another large pot of coffee. “Do you still dislike my presence? I’m not taking it personally—just curious.”

“I’m still making my mind up on whether or not I like you sergals…” Ruby teased. “But Victoria seems to really like you, and I trust Victoria.”

“Hah! Well that’s fair. At the very least, I can confidently say I respect you. You would’ve made quite the sergal.” He ground the coffee and poured himself a cup as he talked.

“You know, I’ve heard just that a number of times from your people. Is that a saying you have there, or am I really just that sergal-like?” She took a long sip of her black coffee.

“We say it as a way to show respect. It’s supposed to be an honor to be considered one of us. I wouldn’t say it’s a common saying, but it is one we say to those we find deserving.” Lucian smiled as he sat down with a small sigh of comfort.

“I see,” she nodded. “O doubt I would last a day in your society though. I’d probably pick a bar fight, then get my hand chopped off or something.”

“Fighting is not as frowned upon as it is here. So long as no one is killed or seriously harmed, it is allowed. Just don’t lie or be dishonest and your fine. You don’t strike me as a liar.”

“What’s your stance on spraying?” she chuckled. “I don’t imagine you have many skunks in Lightkeep, if any at all.”

“Personally I find your unique ability to be as powerful as it is pungent,” he chuckled and smiled. “An army of skunks would be powerful!” He enjoyed a silent moment of drinking before continuing. “I still am unsure if spraying your soldiers is… the best way to train them. Can you tell me why you do it?”

“It’s a great deterrent against acting up. If you’ve been sprayed once, you’ll do everything in your power never to let it happen again. And between you and me,” she leaned a bit closer, “it’s always kind of fun to watch them suddenly snap to attention and start acting respectful once the tail is up.”

“I can’t say I don’t understand that… between your fear and the respect they have for Fang, it’s understandable why you have a strong group of soldiers here.” He leaned back and went back to drinking.

She nodded, “Thanks, Lucian. I really am proud of each and every one of them.”

“Make sure they know that. I can guarantee you that Victoria certainly appreciates your talks as of late.” He stood and bowed “I have a meeting to get to with several of your admirals for war efforts.”

She nodded. “I’ll be at the palace later today as well. I sent a courier last night to request an emergency meeting with Lord Saxon, and I heard back that the soonest he could see me was noon today. Who knows, maybe I’ll run into you if you’re still there.”

“Indeed you may. And luckily for you, you can crawl back into bed with my girlfriend now. Wish I had a nice, private room with her, that’s for sure.” He downed his coffee and headed to the door.

“Heh, I’ll be sure to give her a nice, big kiss for you,” she teased Lucian.

He couldn’t help but smirk. “Make sure to grab her ass as well. Then she’ll know it’s from me.” With that, Lucian left, leaving Ruby alone with her coffee.

Not ten minutes later, the skunk heard the front door of the barracks creak open followed by the sound of someone stepping in, seemingly trying to make as little sound as possible with their footsteps. She had caught several people sneaking back into the building early in the morning before, as it was a rule to spend every night at the barracks unless given permission from the general herself. Ruby was never too strict about enforcing this rule, but she did find it fun to mess with those she caught, threatening them with a spray while rarely following through on it.

Ruby had just been finishing her cup of coffee when the sound of the door made her ears perk up. She set her mug down to go investigate, but as it turned out she didn’t need to go far.

Walking down the hall and right into the kitchen was Fang. Despite normally being so observant, he almost walked right into Ruby as she turned the corner. “Ah! Dammit, Ruby! The hell are you doing up so early…” Something seemed off about him. His scent, his clothes were all weird. Even though he was startled, he looked like he couldn’t help but smile.

“Sharing a bed with a possessed leopard got a little too warm… Long story. What about you? Why do you smell funny? And are these the clothes you usually sleep in?”

“Well, no. I actually don’t wear anything to sleep usually.”

“Eww, I didn’t need to hear that.”

“This is just, um… something I slipped into. It’s really not important…”

“Well what are you doing out of the barracks so early?”

He sighed, rubbing his head. “Well I’m… I’m actually just now getting back home… from when you sent me out in your stead last night.”

“What, did you get drunk and pass out at that bar?” she asked. “That’s not very like you, Fang. It’s like me, but it’s not like you.”

“’Course not! I would never drink so much that I would pass out… I just spent the night elsewhere… with an old friend.”

Ruby winced and again said, “Eww… Please don’t tell me any more.”

Fang looked a bit uncomfortable and coughed. “Is that coffee I smell?” He tried to change the subject.

“Yeah, it’s coffee. I’m going back to bed.”

“Like I haven’t caught you doing the same, ya little brat!” He smirked and walked into the kitchen. “Remember when you thought you could sneak Collins in here? You tried to sneak a big ol’ cow, still in her armor, back to your room.”

She laughed and followed him back to the kitchen. “Yeah, yeah, not my proudest moment.”

“I don’t plan to make a habit of last night, just… Ah, never mind. Everything all good here? Didn’t miss nothing big, right?” Fang took a long drink of coffee and sighed.

“Well, you did miss Victoria’s possession. Besides that, nah. I’m going back to bed for a few more hours.” Fang blinked at her, then just nodded before going back to drinking his coffee.

In Ruby’s room, Victoria was sitting upright in the bed staring at the general as she walked in. A wide grin was on the cat’s face. “Well hello again, feisty one!”

“Oh gods, not again,” Ruby sighed, shutting the door behind her. “What do you want now, Vivian?”

“Oh, we both know what we want…” Victoria’s body bit her lip, eying Ruby up before sighing. “But I have come to help. Victoria willingly let me in this time as my message is important.”

“Hmm? What is it?” Ruby sat down on the bed with ‘Victoria’, careful to keep some distance between the two girls.

“Well, I could tell you… but what’s in it for me, I wonder?” She almost instantly scooted closer to the general with a big grin. “You know, I’m thinking that a general should have to stay in Lightkeep to help me prepare for war. Maybe you and Victoria here should come to me as fast as you can?” Even though it was Victoria’s body, Vivian’s voice made every word sensual, trying to lure Ruby in with her charm.

Ruby had to stop herself from resting a paw on Victoria’s thigh. Admittedly she did find the other girl’s body quite alluring, even though it wasn’t actually her inviting Ruby in. “Is there a tactical reason for that?” the skunk asked. “If not, I don’t think I could convince my superiors to let me go.”

“Oh, always so… proper… While there is a tactical benefit to you being here, I simply want you here for my own reasons… and Sam does go on and on about you, from what I hear.” Vivian let out a long sigh before she finally said what she had come to say. “One of our scouts has located House Black, Ruby…”

“Don’t get too close to them,” Ruby instantly warned. “We’ve heard they may be intending to spread a plague to cripple our armies. Now, where are they?” Her slightly horny demeanor faded in favor of a serious tone.

Ruby’s dominant tone only made Vivian get even more excited. “You don’t know how long it’s been since someone tried to boss me around… You know, if you spoke like that in my presence, my guards would get very defensive.” Ruby could tell that even though she was liking it, Vivian had just given her a warning. “I am well aware of the plague, as I was the one who saved Victoria and her friend from injury when they gazed upon this plot.”

“Oh, did you? I must’ve zoned out while she was relaying that part of the story to me. It was pretty late… Very well. How close is House Black’s army?”

Vivian’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Ride to Lightkeep with Victoria. When you arrive, I’ll have more information perhaps.” She lifted a finger and booped Ruby’s nose rather hard before leaving Victoria to be face to face with the general.

“W-wha—?” Victoria said before being interrupted by her general.

“No, Vivian, come back! We still have things to discuss! Victoria, get her back!” She shook the snow leopard’s shoulders.

“I-I can’t just get her back!” the hungover girl said, shrugging Ruby’s hands off her.

In Victoria’s mind, Vivian spoke one more time. ‘Your general should learn respect… Tell her that I hope she will be much more pleasant when we meet. If I learn anything drastic, I will inform you of it.’

“She says you’ll have to treat her with better manors when you next meet with her in person. And if she learns anything else that’s ‘drastic’, she’ll have me tell you.”

Ruby sighed, annoyed. “Fine. Guess you and I are riding to Lightkeep tonight after my meeting with Lord Saxon.” She lay down. “I’m going back to sleep now.”

“Well I’m up for the day.” Victoria stood up. “And I may be sick. I really did drink a lot last night.”

“Suit yourself.” The skunk rolled over in bed.

With a yawn, Victoria continued out of the general’s sleeping quarters and walked to the kitchen.

Vivian spoke again as she walked away. ‘What a frustratingly fascinating woman… Even you are drawn to her.’

‘I am not!’ Victoria thought. ‘I’m totally attracted to guys! I’m sure you saw my thoughts as she and I slept in the same bed. No way they were sexual!’

‘So defensive…’ Vivian laughed. ‘Oh, I’ve seen your type alright. An older man. Firm yet caring. A gentle and caring soul, but still a powerful man. But I didn’t mean sexually. You are drawn to her approval much like I’m drawn to her self-confidence, even if she’s testing me so…’ Victoria could feel the Den Mother’s sigh. ‘I am happy you find my Lucian to be desirable. And I hope you don’t hurt the poor boy…’

‘I would never hurt Lucian,’ Victoria mentally insisted. Intently staring up at her own forehead and not looking where she was going, she missed the turn into the kitchen. She collided with the wall right in front of her, in plain view of Fang seated at the kitchen table.

Fang was mid-sip and was staring at the girl. “You… ok there, Victoria? Are you being possessed again?”

The cat felt such a strange mix of emotions from Vivian when you looked at Fang. The anger was understandable from the sergals’ past, but she also found him fascinating. ‘We will talk later, beautiful… I am eager to speak with you more!’ With that, the Red Mother faded once again from her head and Victoria was free.

The tingling sensation in her head now gone for the first time that morning, she shook her head a bit and looked over to Fang. “Huh? Oh, yeah… Looks like Ruby and I are going back to Lightkeep tonight. Should be able to get the Den Mother out of my head then.”

“Right… Sit down let me make you breakfast. You look like you’re having a rough morning…” He stood up, almost giving Victoria coffee before remembering she disliked it. Fang got her orange juice instead. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

As much as Victoria wanted to deny any sort of romance between herself and Fang, she did have to admit that he was treating her shockingly nicely this morning. Was he perhaps envious of her relationship with Lucian?

Resting her elbows on the table and her face in her palms, Victoria finally confessed, “I’m pregnant, Fang.” She sighed heavily. “That’s why I shared a bed with Ruby last night: because I needed somebody I could tell that to and be physically comforted by.” She said this assuming he’d already been able to detect the skunk’s very distinct scent on her, not knowing that the dragon had already been told about the sleeping arrangement by Ruby herself.

Fang wasn’t facing her, so she couldn’t see the shock on his face. He kept cooking on the wood stove and set down some fresh eggs for her. “Well, if you’re pregnant you really better eat up!” Smiling, he sat down across from her. He took a short pause to collect his thoughts. “Does Lucian know yet?”

She shook her head. “I don’t even know how to tell him… But ever since finding out, it’s hard to even be in the same room as him… I just feel so bad hiding the truth from him like that.”

“Look—and I am in no way judging here!—but do you actually want to be with him?” Fang asked, trying his best to be supportive. All he wanted to make sure was that she was happy. “If you do want to be with him, I’ll help in any way I can because it’s clear to me that the man is in love.”

She nodded. “He is a good guy… But I’ve only known him for three days! And he spent one of those days cutting off my fingertips! I mean, not that I don’t forgive him for that—I do—but it’s just so soon… and I’m just 19…” The snow leopard sighed heavily and laid her face on the table, exhausted.

Fang didn’t take the gesture lightly. He leaned over and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It has been quick. And as much as you both might like each other, it’s still up to you what happens. You’re not alone, ok?” He gave her his best reassuring smile.

She nodded, her snout still uncomfortably pressed up against the table. “Thank you, Fang,” she said into the mahogany.

“Is there anything I can do to help you? I don’t like seeing you all stressed out…” he pulled back to give her space as he sipped his drink.

“No, I can’t think of anything… I just wanna see Lucian soon so that I can finally tell him.”

“Eat your breakfast and pack your stuff. You have a few hours to prepare yourself. You’ll most likely see him when you and Ruby go to see Saxon. I’ll be going as well, so I’ll be close by if you need me.” He stood up and cleaned up his cookware a bit.

She sighed heavily and stood up. “Yeah… Yeah, you’re right, Fang. I’ll pack my stuff once I’m done eating.” The snow leopard lifted her head up and finally began eating the eggs that Fang had prepared for her.


	17. The Palace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Explicit chapter)

The next few hours flew by. Troops were being directed around and introduced with their new allies. The warriors of the tribes that once surrounded the city were joining with the soldiers of Kas Ragnoc and forming one unified force ready to fight against House Black. Lucian had been invaluable in advising the admirals in the strategies that would work, as well as giving them more accurate numbers on allied and enemy sergals.

Fang got dressed up for the meeting before waking Ruby up, making sure to give her enough time to get ready before they headed to meet with Lord Saxon to discuss the latest updates as well as to inform the lord of the oncoming plague.

Unlike when Fang had woken her up the morning they set off for Lightkeep, Ruby got up this morning without much protest. It’d seem her respect for him had been renewed.

Victoria was out in the courtyard sparring with her fellow soldiers, but her mind was not on combat. She was too distracted by the question of how she would break the news of her pregnancy to her boyfriend. This distraction led to her getting thwacked with others’ wooden swords on numerous occasions.

Fang stood with Ruby at the entrance to the courtyard and called out to Victoria. “Come on, Corporal! Let’s get to the meeting.”

All at once, everyone could hear a large bell at the main gate of the city toll. There were two possible bells that could ring: one for an enemy attack and another for the arrival of a friendly force. Thankfully for everybody, this one wasn’t a war bell. Kas Ragnoc was receiving visitors.

Victoria removed her light armor and hung it up on a rack by the door the other two were waiting for her in. “Is Lucian back yet?” she asked anxiously, too distracted by her own matters to think about the bell’s chime.

The dragon replied, “No, he is still in the Royal Palace. I’m sure we will see him there. But I wonder who could be arriving now…” Fang looked over to Ruby. “If we take the main road we should be able to see who’s arriving on our way to the meeting.”

“It’s probably some tribal leaders, right?” the skunk said. “Well I guess we’ll see. C’mon, Victoria, let’s get going.” The snow leopard hurried over to them and followed Fang and Ruby inside.

A small, muttering crowd had gathered along the sides of the street to see who was arriving. As the group of three made their way down the street, they got a good look as the gates fully opened and a group of civilians came marching in. It took only a few seconds to recognize them as the former citizens of Lightkeep. A modestly-sized group of sergal warriors escorted the civilians into the city.

The general public seemed uneasy about the sergals leading the civilians forward but were happy to see that almost all of Lightkeep’s civilians appeared unharmed, albeit unhappy.

“So they finally made good on that promise,” Ruby observed in a low voice to Fang. “There must be hundreds of these refugees.”

“Indeed… It’s all the soldiers as well as a good majority of the population. This will go a long way with relations.” After the civilians had come through, Ruby and Fang could see a small group of House Scribe sergal trailing behind. They issued bright smiles and waves to the crowd. Bringing up the rear, however, was a sergal female carried on a litter by four males. Her fur was a lovely blue and white.

“That’s a Den Mother!” Ruby pointed out to Fang. “They don’t have many females at all, so it must be some huge honor that they’d send one to our capital…” After staring at the abnormally large sergal for a short while, Ruby turned. “C’mon, we should really get to the palace.”

The crowd was slowing down the newcomers, allowing Ruby’s group to hurry to the meeting.

Once inside the palace, after heading down the many beautiful halls the group arrived at the main audience chamber. In the next room over, however, Fang could hear Lucian talking to the other admirals. “Ruby, Victoria, wait here a moment.” Fang knocked and walked into the room alone for a few minutes before he and everyone else inside walked out. Fang and Lucian joining the girls. “Victoria… Lucian is free for a bit and that room is empty. Why don’t you two take a minute in there while Ruby and I go talk to Saxon real quick?”

Fang gave her a look of encouragement, while Lucian simply looked happy to see Victoria.

Victoria nodded, taking Lucian by the hand. “…Babe, there’s something I have to tell you. Come with me.” She led him off into the now-empty room and shut the door.

The main chamber opened up, and Ruby and Fang entered together to talk to Saxon.

Lucian had Victoria sit down and he smiled brightly at her. “Hey, morning! If this is about what happened between you and Ruby, she already told me. I’m really sorry that you got possessed against your will.”

She shook her head softly. “No, that’s… That’s not it.” Victoria heavily exhaled and sat down on the big table in the room.

“Oh, well I’m all ears.” Lucian stood, looking at her a bit concerned.

Just as she was starting to cry, she finally said, “I’m pregnant, Lucian…”

Lucian looked thrilled and was about to reach in and hug her before he saw her tears. “You… are unhappy with that…”

“I… don’t know how to feel about it,” Victoria admitted. “I’m only 19! That’s such a young age to have a baby!”

“You’ll only be pregnant for a few months… Within a few years, he will be considered old enough to pick his house and he will be trained. You’re going to be an amazing mother, Victoria… It’s going to be ok.” Lucian held on to her paw, trying to encourage her.

She squeezed his paw gently. “I only wanted to have sex so I could lose my virginity… I didn’t expect this to come from our first time.” She wiped her eyes.

Lucian had a lot on his mind, but still he smiled. “Hey… I’m sorry that you didn’t want all this. I… was selfish in a way. I wanted to have a mate and a child. To be honest, I want it to be with you. No matter what you want, we will do it. I’ll support your decision.”

She nodded. “Thank you, Lucian…” She then pulled him in a bit closer for a kiss.

He leaned in and kissed her lips, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding on to it to support her.

She smiled as she looked into his face. “At least we know our baby will be cute,” she purred.

He laughed and kissed her neck a bit. “Very, very cute. If only we could have a small baby girl…”

“Yeah, as if,” she chuckled. “Isn’t the chance for a female, like, one in a thousand?”

“Yes, it’s very rare. But who knows? Maybe it’s meant to be.” He winked and licked her cheek. “I don’t want you to feel trapped, alright ? No matter what, I am here for you.”

“Thank you…” She nuzzled her face into his. “I was so scared to tell you, but you’re really understanding.”

“I would love to call you my bond mate… But if I can’t, you’re still someone I care deeply for. And it was the first time for both of us…” Lucian smiled and helped her stand up. “Seriously though, we should get you back to Lightkeep soon. We need to get you comfortable before you start showing. I’m guessing that will start in a week or so…”

She nodded, “Yeah, probably…” She intentionally avoided saying anything about this ‘bond mate’ business, still not quite sure what it entailed. “Ruby actually agreed to take me back to Lightkeep tonight. Will you come with us?”

He shook his head, still smiling. “No… It’s best if I stay here for a few weeks to help everyone get situated and keep the peace.” He laughed, “No point in planning for our future if House Black simply destroys us.”

“Yeah, I suppose so,” she said. “I’ll miss you… Maybe we’ll get one more chance to fuck before I head out later today.” Victoria playfully patted Lucian’s ass.

He blinked and glanced around. “You know… that door locks. And the chalkboard outside said no one will be here for at least an hour…”

Despite her eyes widening and her looking at him like he was crazy, she couldn’t help but smile. “No way!” she said. “Not in the royal palace!”

“Why not? You’re already pregnant, so I won’t make any mess.” He smirked and rubbed his claws up her legs, loving the soft fur. “Might be the last time we get to be alone for a while.”

She nervously looked around the empty conference room. “You know what… Fine. But we have to make it quick!”

“Yeah, yeah. And you have to be quiet!” Lucian walked over to the door and bolted it shut before stripping out of his gear and slowly walking over to her.

As he got himself ready, Victoria was removing her pants and hopping back up onto the conference table to sit with each of her feet resting on a chair.

Standing naked before her, he knelt down and nibbled her clit through her panties. Lucian slowly pushed his tongue into her, his big eyes looking up at the cat.

Victoria gasped and had to bite her lip just to keep from moaning too loudly. The sergal tongue felt so good, even with a thin piece of fabric separating it from her skin.

He hooked his fingers around her panties and sliced through the cute fabric, then pulled them off her before plunging his tongue in deep. Unlike their first time, he wasn’t nervous or anxious. He simply craved her body and made sure she knew it.

She was just about to scold him for cutting her panties, but she was rendered by how he ate her out. She slammed the soles of her feet on the chairs and moaned with her mouth closed.

He pushed her down fully on the massive table. His hands touched her all over, rubbing his claws all over her body.

She gasped as the claws gently ran through her fur, this little bit of added danger making it even more exhilarating for her.

He slowly pulled his tongue out with one last flick over her clit before he stood up. The table was the perfect height for how she was lying. He grabbed her hips and thrusted his cock hard inside of her, putting his paw over her mouth a second beforehand to keep her quiet.

Victoria gasped extremely loudly as she was penetrated. She’d already been fairly wet thanks to all the foreplay and the visit from Lucian’s tongue, but it still hurt her just a bit when he thrusted all the way into her pussy. Her own claws extended slightly as she grabbed on to his hips.

Feeling her claws made him thrust even deeper into her out of excitement. Keeping his rhythm slow, he leaned in closer and kissed her lips hard, nibbling softly. She moaned quietly as they kissed, unable to express with words how much she was enjoying being fucked.

His hands grabbed hers and pulled them above her head, pinning them to the table as he slowly started to speed up. “Aah, Victoria… So tight! I’m going to miss you when you’re gone!” As if to show just how much he would miss her, he started to fuck her extra vigorously, passionately thrusting and pressing himself against her.

A moan escaped her pursed lips when each thrust reached the deepest point inside her. Victoria’s eyes shut tight in a mix of pleasure and just a little pain.

The intense thrusts slowly got faster as he started to pant against her ear. Lucian moaned softly before nibbling on her neck. “So… close…”

“Go ahead,” she moaned back in his ear. “Go ahead and cum. Like you said, no cleanup required.”

With a shaking, pleasurable moan, he pushed himself as deep into her as he could, lifting her hips up slightly so nothing would spill out of his woman and finally ejaculated. Much more came out this time compared to their first. At the peak of pleasure, he leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips, pushing his tongue into her.

Victoria gasped as she felt his cum spill into her, then her gasp gave way to a prolonged moan that was only interrupted by his aggressive kiss.

———

After a good ten minutes of Lucian licking Victoria clean, doing his best to remove the scent of sex from her, he helped the cat get dressed, a very satisfied smile on his face. “That was a perfect way to say goodbye. I do hope I see you again soon, however…”

When he was done licking her, Victoria started pulling her pants back on. “I’ll try not to be gone too long, ok?”

“I’m more concerned with you coming back safe.” Once he was dressed, he pulled Victoria close and held her tightly to his chest. “If you need me—for anything—you tell me and I’ll drop anything for you.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Victoria insisted. “I'll have Ruby with me, so you don’t need to worry, ok?”

“Fair enough, beautiful.” Lucian walked her to the door and unlocked it. From the sounds of it, the meeting was still going on in the largest conference room. “I need to go find the other… Hold on, I smell sergals! Did more people arrive?”

She nodded. “The blue ones… House Scribble, is that what they’re called?”

He chuckled. “No, hon. House Scribe. They are basically keepers of knowledge and act as our scouts. They don’t know more than the basic two years of self defense. If they arrived, does that mean that the unclaimed citizens have returned with them?”

She nodded. “Almost every citizen of Lightkeep is here. I’m not sure how we’re going to house them all…”

“It is something we have been discussing at length with the admirals and other city advisors. There is a massive cave system under Kas Ragnoc. This isn’t public information yet, but our immediate plan is to send down a team of scouts to map it out. Citizens will be kept safe in secure shelters down there, and if the worst happens and House Black captures the city, we have somewhere to fall back to.”

“You want to turn the former residents of Lightkeep, whom you ejected from their homes, into cave-dwellers?” Victoria asked. “Are you insane?”

“There is no reason to talk to me in such a way, Victoria… This isn’t just my decision. These are your admirals, so remember whose thoughts you’re questioning so quickly.” He paused to let her get a word in if she wished.

“That’s still so awful,” Victoria said. “First the sergals evict them from their homes, then they’re forced to migrate to a whole new city and live underground.”

“Enough, Victoria! You know why we came here. You know what is coming. Unless the city is under siege, they won’t be forced anywhere. But Lightkeep is going to be attacked soon. You’d want the innocent people to be left in a war zone?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

She sighed and looked away. “No, I guess not… It’s still just… so unfair what the sergals did to those innocent civilians. I really wish you all would’ve gone about it differently and not have invaded Lightkeep.”

“Life is full of trials, harsh and cruel. We did what we had to. If I had to make that choice again, I would if it means my people won’t be butchered,” Lucian said truthfully. Lucian was much more empathetic than his sergal brothers. He guessed it was because of his mother, a very sweet and good woman. She was always caring for others, and he admired her for that. “Look, love. I’m aware my people are harsh, but our laws keep us in check. We worship our sergal women. Our men are some of the greatest warriors alive, and they act as such. The mates we take—like in Lightkeep—we are harsh with at times, but through the bond all becomes clear… all is forgiven. There is only truth with our mates.”

“Fine,” Victoria said, heading for the door. “I should go catch up with Ruby and make sure she’s advocating for the Lightkeepers to get real, above-ground housing.”

Lucian gripped Victoria’s arm and turned her around. “Death. Is. Coming. You don’t know what they can and will do! Women and children raped, the men driven mad and turned against you! This city needs to be protected, and we will protect it! I am a commander, leader of armies. I’m working with the city’s best advisors on where to put everyone!” He was frustrated at how openly his girlfriend doubted him and questioned not only him but her own leaders.

With one hand on the door handle, Victoria raised her voice and shouted, “Lucian, let go of me!” Though she didn’t necessarily doubt what he said, she didn’t like how he was grabbing her to say it.

Ruby, who’d just been getting out of her meeting with Lord Saxon and Fang, heard Victoria’s shout and sped up her walk towards the locked conference room.

Confused, Lucian blinked a bit and let go. He shook his head in disappointment and turned, walking away from Victoria and the main chamber. He wasn’t about to make a scene in front of the higher-ups.

Fang quickly walked over to Victoria. “What happened? Why are you yelling?”

Victoria rubbed the arm Lucian had grabbed and stood closer to the dragon and skunk. “Lucian grabbed me, but I’m ok now,” she said, giving the back of her boyfriend’s head an unhappy glare as he walked away.

Lucian was already down the hall before he rounded a corner and left their line of sight. Fang looked at Lucian then at Victoria. “Well… you’re ok now, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Victoria sighed.

“Should I go after him?” Ruby offered.

“No, it’s fine.”

“What were you two doing in there?” the general asked.

“Just… talking.”

“Did he get upset because of what you talked about? About… you know, the baby?” Fang asked as carefully as he could.

“No, he didn’t mind that. He got upset when I talked about how wrong it was for the sergals to invade Lightkeep like they did… How did your meeting with Saxon go?”

Ruby said, “We told him about the threat of a plague and about Vivian’s request that I visit her in Lightkeep. He told us he’d look out for anyone displaying signs of illness and approved the request for you and me to head to Lightkeep toni— I just realized something!”

Taken aback, Victoria said, “What?”

“Sgt. Geraldson must be here! I told him to come back to the city at the first available opportunity. He must’ve come with the refugees.”

“Well, the little guy would be a welcome sight!” Fang said happily, trying to move the conversation forward so Victoria may focus on something else. “Should we head back towards the barracks then?” From farther down the hall, several sets of steps could be heard echoing down the hall.

“Yeah, let’s get go—” Ruby began before the creatures creating the footsteps came into view. It was a group of four House Winter sergal guards marching behind the elegant blue Den Mother. Though not quite as intimidating or tall as Vivian, this Den Mother was breathtakingly beautiful. She walked with the grace and authority of a queen. Her eyes were wide as she took in all the details of the palace as if each and every one were important. One of her eyes was blue as the sky while the other a vibrant green.

To the Mother’s left was Lucian, who was quickly relating to her all the important information he could think of. On her right was Saber. Unlike when Ruby met him for the first time, he was now dressed in a full set of armor decorated to show off his rank. He looked almost excited at first to see Ruby, but his expression soured a bit as he saw Victoria.

Quickly assuming that the sergals weren’t here for them, Ruby, Fang, and Victoria stepped to the side of the hallway to allow the party to pass.

As they were walking by, Saber whispered something to the Den Mother. She held up a hand to the guards, who all immediately stopped. “Those two? You’re sure?” The Den Mother’s voice was sweet and young as she spun and looked at the group of theirs.

She gave Fang a long look over before Lucian quickly cut in, “This is Master Fang. He’s a friend and can be trusted…”

The mother was satisfied with that answer and she walked up to the two girls. “My, my… I have heard  _ so _ much about the two of you… The warrior general who fought a sergal and lived… as well as one blessed by my sister Vivian! Well met, sister!” The woman smiled wide, standing between the two women. She was taller than both ladies but only stood a few inches above Victoria. Her tail swayed slowly behind her.

“Thank you,” Ruby and Victoria both said with a bow.

The general looked to Saber. It would seem her hatred for her former adversary outranked the respect she was supposed to have for the Den Mother. After all, it was his partner Torrin who killed Vip, and Saber was the one who stole Victoria away from her. “Smells like you finally removed my spray fully, hmm?”

“Oh, it took a bit. My mate was kind enough to come up with a scent to mask it. It is great to see you again, General.” The sergal, for his part, seemed rather happy to see the skunk. “Victoria,” was all he said as he looked at the leopard then away from her again.

The Den Mother clasped her hands together. “Oh my! This is a great, big reunion, it seems! The general here has a great respect for you, General Ruby.” She walked and leaned over to Victoria. “You, however, he was less thrilled to see… I can understand why… but seems like you played your cards well.” The Mother lifted up the hand that had been declawed to study it. “Very well done…”

Victoria didn’t know how to respond to having her paw studied as it was. “I-it seems that Mother Vivian fully healed it, ma’am. It’s impossible to tell that I was ever even declawed.”

“Like the punishment never happened, more like…” Saber said with a bit of anger in his tone.

Before anyone else could react to his comment, however, the Mother gently let go of Victoria’s hand, spun around, and struck Saber across the jaw with a frightening amount of force, sending the sergal back a few steps. “Question the actions of Mother Vivian again and I shall remove your tongue!”

Victoria jumped and Ruby’s tail twitched as the smack rang out through the corridor. Clearly no one had been expecting the Mother to react that way.

Saber quickly bowed and nodded. “Apologies… I tend to get defensive of my mate.”

Finally, Ruby spoke up and tried to redirect the conversation to more relevant matters. “Den Mother, I presume you are here to meet with the royal advisors? Would you like me to guide you to them?”

“Oh, yes!” Rather forward, the Den Mother wrapped an arm around Ruby’s and let her guide. “You’re very, very cute. No wonder my sister wishes to do many, many things to you…” The guards started to follow the two women.

‘Are all Den Mothers gay?’ Ruby thought to herself as she walked with the sergal woman.

The Mother turned to look at Ruby, whispering at first, “I think you’ll like this…” She spoke up, “Saber, shouldn’t you be apologizing?” Saber kept his head low and was about to speak when she added, “To Victoria, for talking rudely to her.”

Saber looked up to meet the woman’s eyes, then quickly back down. “I apologize, Victoria… You were punished and I should keep that in mind.” The soldier took a deep breath as he waited for her to accept or reject what he said.

“It’s… fine,” Victoria said awkwardly, clearly not enjoying that he had been forced to apologize to her like this. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Good Saber. Accepting the past is how we move on. Your mate still lives and punishment has been dealt.”

Saber looked at Victoria. His entire attitude had changed and he seemed comfortable now with her.

“I’m afraid,” the skunk said to her as they kept walking, “that I didn’t catch your name, Den Mother.”

The Den Mother smiled softly. “What was that? Oh, yes, I am Mother Nicole, one of three of House Scribe.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Den Mother Nicole,” Ruby said as they reached the grand doors of the royal conference room. “The Royal Advisors should be just behind these doors, ma’am.”

Nicole sighed, looking at the doors. “So much is about to happen… Ruby, may I ask you a blunt question?” The Mother didn’t turn her head. She just stared at the door, her grip on Ruby tight but not painful.

“Hmm? Of course, Mother Nicole,” Ruby said. “What is it?”

“Do you… ever get scared, Ruby?” Her voice was soft like a child’s, and the more Ruby looked at her the more she realized that this Den Mother wasn’t that old at all. “House Black terrifies me. All I do is run calculations all day, our numbers against theirs… It’s exhausting and scary.”

She contemplated lying before ultimately deciding to tell the truth. “I do,” Ruby said. “I get scared when confronted with the possibility of my soldiers—those I’m meant to lead and protect—getting hurt or slain in battle.” She looked over her shoulder at Victoria before turning back to the sergal. “If I’m being honest… it terrifies me, Den Mother.”

“Hold on to that fear. Fear keeps us sharp. Vivian is afraid as well. Her… eagerness and pushiness with you is a result of her craving to feel something—anything good before it becomes too late. Do not be too harsh with her.” She rested her hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “I believe there is a future for us with your people here. Despite our differences, we wish to have allies.”

The skunk general nodded to Mother Nicole. “I agree,” she said with a determined nod. “Well, I understand you have a meeting to get to. I won’t hold you any longer.” Ruby stepped away from the conference room doors.

The Den Mother waved her hand and the guards moved to her side. They opened the doors to the meeting chamber and moved into the next room.

Several feet away, Lucian carefully guided Victoria away. “Did I hurt your arm, love? I really didn’t mean to… I understand if you’re mad at me. Being talked back to isn’t something I’m familiar with, but that’s nothing I should take out on you.”

“You did, but it’s ok,” Victoria whispered to her boyfriend. “You better get used to backtalk. The women of Kas Ragnoc are not as submissive as those from the other kingdoms you’ve bred with.”

“I don’t want you to be submissive… but I do want you to trust my judgment.” The big sergal softly rubbed her arm and leaned in, kissing her forehead. “I’ll talk to the generals again and see if we can improve living conditions… I promise.” He pulled away slightly with a smile. He then bowed, a very respectful gesture considering his and Victoria’s ranks.

“Thank you, Babe…” Victoria said. When he came up from a bow, she pulled him into a tight hug.

Her business with the female sergal now concluded, Ruby approached Victoria and Lucian locked in the middle of an embrace. She respectfully waited for them to be done before reminding her corporal that they must prepare for the trip to Lightkeep.   


Lucian nodded and said his goodbyes to the three of them before going to his meeting. Fang smiled, happy to see that things were getting settled. “Let’s get back to the barracks,” the dragon said. “I’m eager to check up on Sam.”   


“Fang,” Ruby said, “will you do me a favor and start debriefing Sgt. Geraldson on what he learned from his extended stay in Lightkeep? Cpl. Wildheart and I need to get ready to head there. Once we’re ready we’ll join you in talking to Sam.”   


He gave a nod. “Great idea, General. I’ll head to him right away.” He turned and made sure to take wide steps to get to the barracks as fast as he could.

Meanwhile at the barracks, Sam was settling back in. He was very unsure how Ruby would react when she found out whom he had brought back with him, but he hoped he would be able to sort it out.


	18. Patience

A while later, Ruby and Victoria entered the barracks and headed straight for their respective sleeping quarters to begin packing, not yet reuniting with the soldier they’d left in Lightkeep. It seemed the two girls were determined to head out as soon as possible. Perhaps they were too scared by the gnoll encounter last time to want to risk traveling at night again.

The barracks were clean and nearly all tasks were in order, just as Ruby and Fang had come to expect. The small corner of the courtyard that now housed Viper’s grave prior to that week saw next to no use, but now there were dozens of sets of footprints leading to and away from it as soldiers visited to pay their respects.

Fang found Ruby in her room a few minutes after she arrived. “General, I have debriefed Sam. He’s in the back with Viper at the moment.”

The skunk nodded. “Let him know to meet with me when he’s done there. I’ll need him to fill me in on anything important he’s learned while there—you know, customs, manners, intel.” She looked down at her body, her chest covered by a bra she’d changed into just seconds ago. “And next time, Fang, please knock.”

“Oh, Ruby. We talked about this. Lock when you’re changing.” He turned and half-closed the door between them so he could talk but no one could look in. “His… His two sisters are here. He is very anxious about asking you this, so I’m doing it for him: He wants to know if it’s ok for them to stay in our church. They are holy women after all. I don’t see any problem with it, and they are having quite the positive effect on the men.”

Ruby seemed amicable and tolerant to their presence until the ‘positive effect on the men’ was mentioned, when her expression soured. “…How old are the sisters again?” she asked. “Didn’t Sam say these were his little sisters?”

“Oh, no! No, not that kind of effect! One is Victoria’s age and the other is a few years younger, but they aren’t doing anything inappropriate. The men have just been going to listen to them sing and preach. As it turns out, they are very talented at calming our soldiers’ anxieties about the looming war.” Fang looked down the hall to see Sam approaching the room with his head tilted slightly to the side.

“Everything ok, Master Fang?” the fox asked.

“Is that Sam I hear?” Ruby called, pulling a shirt over her head. She walked past Fang in the doorway to greet the sergeant she hadn’t seen in a couple days. She found herself a little thrown-off off for just a second as she wasn’t used to seeing the fox in casual clothes, but she was happy to see him nonetheless.

His tail began wagging the instant he saw her and he smiled. It took him a second, but he saluted and stood at attention. “General!”

Fang chuckled softly, which he hid as a cough. “Yes, it is Sam that you hear.”

“At ease,” she said with a smile. Though she was tempted to hug the young man following his safe return, she restrained herself. “Good to have you back, Sergeant. Give me a few minutes alone with Fang, then I’d like to talk to you about your time in sergal territory. Understood?”

“Of course! I’ll be in my area to pack up my stuff as well!” He turned and walked away, his butt swaying with how hard he had been wagging his tail.

Sam walked off before Ruby could ask why the fox was packing up again just after getting home. She set that on the mental back burner for the time being.

Once alone with Fang again, she asked just to ease her own mind, “So, it’s not just the men of the company who are enjoying the girls’ presence, yes? It’s everyone?”

Fang nodded, patting her shoulder. “Yes, everyone is, plus it would appear that the older sister has a sergal suitor. He’s not here now, but he is in the city. None of our soldiers will do anything unsavory to the young women, I assure you.”

“Good,” Ruby responded as she returned to her room and packed up the last of her belongings she needed for the trip. “Hey, wait… If Sam’s sister has a sergal boyfriend, how come she didn’t join the sergal ‘community’ and stay in Lightkeep? I thought only those who refused to integrate into their society were forced to come to the city for refuge?”

“I asked Sam the same thing. He told me that the sergals’ mates are coming here too if they wish for safety. The sergals seem very keen on protecting anyone who does not want to risk getting caught up in the war. Several more mates are staying at Lightkeep until they know when the invasion will happen, then they too be moved to safety.” Fang explained all this as he compulsively double-checked what Ruby packed. “Looks good… Got everything you need…”

Ruby walked over to where Fang was standing and hastily tied her bag shut. “Thanks, ‘Dad’, but I don’t need your reassurance that I packed a bag correctly. I’m 26 years old.”

“Yeah, and remember just three years ago when you forgot to pack parchment and the tent spikes?” he teased, slightly nudging her to let her know he wasn’t trying to pester her. “It’s habit, is all. I know you can handle yourself.

She smiled as she lifted up the bag and hoisted it onto her shoulder. “Is Victoria ready yet?”   


“I’ll go make sure she’s good and you can go talk to Sam, ok?” Fang turned and headed down the hall to Victoria’s room.   


Victoria herself was emerging from the women’s sleeping quarters just as Fang approached the door. She jumped for a second, not expecting to see someone right on the other side of the door. “Oh,” she laughed at herself for briefly getting scared, “hey, Master Fang. Is Sam ready to talk with Ruby and me?”   


“Yes, I believe so. Are you all packed and ready to go? I wanted to check on you after all that happened today. How are you feeling?” He smiled softly, showing her genuine care.   


She took a deep breath. “I’m ok. I think Lucian and I might benefit from just a little time apart. This is our first relationship for both of us, after all.”   


“Relationship and culture… I don’t know if it helps, but if I had been dating you when I was younger, and had you done to me what you did to him, I would’ve acted very similarly. He’s a very smart animal, but force and aggression are just a part of him. If he wants to show something, his first instinct will be to show it through force. Just next time don’t be afraid to show some teeth back. Just because you may argue doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. In his head, the two matters are separate. Does that make sense?” Fang asked, hoping he was clearing things up and not making anything worse.   


“It makes sense, but I draw the line when verbal disagreements become physical confrontations. If Lucian is indeed the kind of man to grow violent when he’s arguing with someone he loves, I just don’t see a future for him and myself.”   


“Here… May I?” He was asking if he could see Victoria’s arm, his hand already out to hold it if she would let him.   


Instinctively she held up her right arm, the one that had been declawed and subsequently healed. While drinking in the barracks the previous night, it felt like every single soldier wanted to see that hand.   


He smiled and patted her hand. “Lovely, but I meant today’s injury.” He chuckled and gently took a hold of her other arm. She noted how impressive it was as he parted the fur of her arm to look at her skin that such a big person could be so delicate. “Happened only a few hours ago and your arm only has a light scratch, most likely from you pulling… I am not defending abuse—and if he ever hits you, you punch him right back—but I think his intentions were on holding, not harming.” He shrugged and set let go of her arm. “But still, it’s important how you feel about it.”   


She sighed, “Yeah, I know. It’s not the actual damage I care about; It’s the fact that he grabbed me at all. That’s not what I want a boyfriend who’s much stronger and much bigger than me to ever do, Fang.”   


“I understand. I do feel like, with enough perseverance on both of your parts, you can get him to understand you. Or you could of course ‘bond’ with him. I don’t fully understand it myself, but from what little I’ve heard, it sounds like a sergal and his mate completely understand each other once it’s done, as if the other’s needs and wants are their own.” He smiled and gestured down the hall, “Shall we head to meet with Ruby?”   


She nodded enthusiastically. “Gods, I’m sure she’s waiting on us. Let’s hope she’s not upset.” She hurriedly walked past Fang and down the hall.   


After stopping by his bed to change into new clothes and armor and set out his sword, Same sat down in the common room to eagerly wait for Ruby. Other soldiers welcomed the fox back, but his mind was not on them. He almost ran up and hugged the general when he saw her. ‘Gods…’ he thought, ‘I so would have been sprayed.’ After a minute, he saw her again and started to wag his tail. “General, it’s good to be back with you again.”   


Ruby met the sergeant in the common room. Other soldiers catching up with Sam respectfully stopped what they were doing to vacate the room for the general. “It’s good to have you back,”she nodded with the smallest smile. “But… Why are you suited up? Don’t tell me you’re getting ready to practice sparring so soon after returning home.”   


“Not at all, ma’am. I was simply getting ready to ride out with you and Victoria. I’m ready now, I just wanted to double-check and replace the dirty clothes. Now that my sisters are ok, I’m ready to continue my mission,” he said with a smile, gesturing to his bag and gear.   


“Um, excuse me?” Ruby said just as Victoria was entering the room. “You just got back from Lightkeep. Now you want to go there again?” She was starting to think the boy just really enjoyed long trips.   


“Well, yeah, I…” The thought finally clicked into his head that Ruby might not want or even need him for this. He had assumed he was going but didn’t even stop to consider that he simply wasn’t needed. “General, I’m sorry. I in no way meant to assume. I simply thought we would be continuing our mission against House Black together.” He gulped, his tail curled down slightly.   


She gave him a slightly funny look. “You wanted to stay in Lightkeep because you missed your sisters.” The skunk could hear their pleasant singing reverberating through the barracks’ walls. “I would’ve thought that, now that they’re here in the city, you’d want to stay here with them.”   


“My sisters are safe here, General. Now I want to make sure you are safe… and you too!” He smiled and hugged Victoria tightly, happy to see his friend. “It’s good to see you up and about again!”   


Ruby directed her gaze down a little as she weighed the potential harms and benefits of bringing Geraldson along.

Victoria hugged him back equally as tight. After losing Vip during the mission, she had a renewed sense of value for her friends and cherished the friendship she shared with Sam.   


Sam smiled a bit as he let go. “Well, what can I tell you about our new friends? I did as much recon as I could. That Den Mother, Vivian, let me have complete access to whatever I wanted to see.”   


“Wow,” Victoria said. “That was kind of her.”

Ruby nodded. “Did you see any evidence of potential double-crossing, or perhaps collusion with House Black?” she asked, taking a moment to look down the hall just to be sure Lucian wasn’t there, at risk of offending him.   


“None that I could see. As far as I can tell, they have been honest, albeit blunt, about their feelings and allegiances. There is a disgust for House Black that matches their hate for their old masters.”

Sam paused, the thoughts changing in his head. “I also witnessed how they act with their mates. It is… Well, it’s strange. They act like masters to servants at first—harsh like you, General, are on us when we get out of line. But after that, they almost seem to worship their mates. I saw one of the Scribes pick up and carry their mate when she hurt her foot tripping. She insisted she was fine, but the sergal just held her and carried her off. I also noticed that the reason sergals are so handsy and rough is almost… simple. They don’t understand that women aren’t the same as them. Imagine if you grew up with only brothers all your life. They know how to get rough and treat other sergal men, but they don’t fully grasp how to care for a woman. At least, that is until they bond,” Sam said, taking a long breath and giving the two women a chance to ask him to clarify anything.   


Ruby, who was now sitting in one of the common room’s chairs as she listened to Sam, leaned forward in her seat. “Tell me more about this ‘bonding’ between partners I hear talked about so much,” she told Geraldson. “I still don’t feel like I understand it completely. Perhaps Victoria can help fill me in, too.”

Victoria shook her head. “Lucian and I had sex, but… I don’t think I’m officially ‘bonded’ to him yet.” She looked at Sam. “Or… am I?”   


Sam choked on nothing and laughed, “Holy shit, you fucked that big red sergal guy?” A few guys who were in the room chuckled at the outburst and Sam rubbed his neck. “Ah… Sorry, just surprised.”   


“Shut up!” she playfully hissed at the fox and the other males. “Th-things were stressful, and we kinda ended up… Just shut up!”   


Sam laughed some more before answering their questions. “But no, you’d know for sure if you bonded. That’s very uncommon, actually; Usually sergals bond during the first time they have sex with someone. A bond is made when a sergal bites their partner, usually as they finish as kinda the cherry on top, and the partner has to bite them in return, marking each other in a permanent display of affection. I don’t know if it’s spiritual or magic, but doing that creates a link between the two partners. Apparently it’s only ended by death.”   


‘So that's how Saber immediately knew when I took Fiona hostage,’ Victoria thought.

Ruby had been nodding along with Sam. “That sounds like it must be in some way magic… I got the impression when in Lightkeep that sergals are a magical species by nature and the females are, like, bastions of pure, concentrated magic.”   


“Yeah, they’re so cool! I was with one of the younger red females most of the time I was there. She was so chatty and nice.” Sam wagged his tail a bit. “She showed me some magic things as well, and I showed her the book you gave me!”   


“Oh, gods,” Ruby said with a wide smile. “Are two of my soldiers falling in love with sergals?” This made Victoria blush. The skunk deliberately left out her own sexual curiosity about Vivian.

“What! N-no! No, not like that at all!” He seemed very embarrassed at that idea.   


Ruby laughed. “Well, I’m glad you’re making friends, Sam. What’d she think of my book?”   


“She… She said that it was impressive, and she was surprised I had the ability to read it.” He coughed slightly and looked down. “It was nice that she was so friendly, I’ll admit. Guess my situation wasn’t as stressful as yours though, huh?” San nudged Victoria in the arm with a smirk.   


“I told you to shut up!” This time, the slightest bit of genuine anger poked through the display of playful irritation.

“Well, you were around a sergal female,” Ruby said. "I can imagine that was fairly stressful, too. It’s like if you were playmates with the prince of Kas Ragnoc: you’d probably be walking on eggshells, making sure you didn’t offend or hurt them.”   


Sam softly apologized to Victoria and then turned to Ruby. “You’d think… but strangely it wasn’t. She’s very eccentric yet smart. She told me that, since I was being allowed free access to the records and information, I didn’t need to be afraid around her. It was rather freeing to be so calm around someone so intimidating.”   


“Huh,” Ruby said, a bit pleasantly surprised. “Well, I’m glad to hear you’re getting along with the sergals so well. It sounds like you really were treated well there.” She took a deep breath as she planned what to say next. “Well, would you like to see this young woman again?”   


“If you are asking if I’d like to come along with you, I most certainly would, General.” Sam smiled and bowed slightly, waiting for a confirmation from her.   


“Fine,” Ruby said, making the decision then and there. “Go hurry and get packed up. Cpl. Wildheart and I are ready now, so don’t slow us down. I’ll send a soldier to fetch a third horse for you from the stables.”   


“Victoria, could you help me real quick? I’m almost finished packing, but I could just use some help with a little thing.” Sam, while Ruby had her back turned as she headed into the courtyard to find a soldier she could send, flashed Victoria a look that said he needed to speak to her desperately.   


“Uh, sure,” the snow leopard said, growing a little worried for Geraldson. She followed him into the men’s sleeping quarters. “What’s up?” she asked in a hushed tone just in case there was another boy in the room with them.   


“Well… Um… First off, sorry for making you angry. I’m not the best at thinking when I’m nervous.” He took a deep breath and looked around to make sure they were alone. “I didn’t quite tell Ruby…  _ everything _ about Sara—that’s the Den Mother I was spending time with.”   


“Well then you should probably tell her,” Victoria whispered. “What’s so bad that you couldn’t tell our general about it?”   


He scoffed. “Yeah, sure, I’ll just go over and tell Ruby I’m in love with her, and that Sara offered to bond with me! Easy things to just say to a woman like Ruby!” He whisper-yelled back and then stammered slightly, realizing he just blurted that out.   


“What?!” She was so shocked that she momentarily forgot to keep her voice down. She immediately put her hands over her mouth as if to silence herself. She then continued in a much quieter voice, “You got an offer to bond with… a Den Mother?! But, wait, you’re in love with whom?”   


“Ruby. Ya know, our hard-ass general who also happens to prefer women over guys.” Sam groaned and flopped onto his bed and he let out a soft whine. “I thought… I thought Viper told you a while ago.”   


“He did, but if I’m being honest, I thought he was just fucking with me.”   


“Well it got so much worse when we were together on that mission, getting to cuddle and all that… What am I going to do?”   


“Wait, you cuddled with our general?” She couldn’t help but giggle just a bit. Ruby was unattainable in such a myriad of ways—superiority, odor, terrible attitude, sexual orientation, odor, age, and odor—and that fact was so tragically hilarious to Victoria. The leopard sat down on the side of Sam’s bunk bed. “Oh, you’ve got to tell me more about this.”   


“After you were captured and we went into the city, we were given a room and, well, there was only one bed. We fell asleep but she rolled and cuddled me… I think she got a bit flustered when she woke up to me holding her, but she wasn’t mad… She’s so soft,” he said with a small smile.   


“Well, skunks are pretty floofy,” Victoria admitted. “Did you get to feel her tail? I’ve always wanted to pet her tail.”   


“Oh, yeah… It was amazing. Better than any other tail I’ve gotten to touch… Victoria, what should I do? I really need your advice. I really like the Den Mother, and it’s not like I can say I’m not very tempted, but… Ruby…”   


She sighed and gently rubbed Sam’s leg below the knee. “I know this is easier said than done, but… I think you have to give up on her. She’s  _ Ruby _ , y’know? She sprays new recruits for no reason. She gets into bar fights practically weekly. She mostly seems interested in one-night stands; I’ve never seen a relationship of hers last longer than a month. And on top of all that, she likes girls, Sam. Yeah, I’ve heard rumors of her being with guys, but I kind of doubt them.”   


“Do… Do you think I should tell her? Ruby, I mean.” He asked, looking up at her with a sad smile. “Just so she knows why I didn’t tell her at first?”   


Victoria thought for a long while, then said, “Honestly, all that might do is just get you sprayed. I have no idea how she’d react to a subordinate confessing his feelings for her, but I feel like her first reaction would be to smother those romantic feelings right away… And she’d probably do that with her spray. You know, the same way she deals with all of her problems.”   


“Right, right… Hey, thank you. It means a lot to be able to talk about that with you.” He smiled and gave her a hug.   


“I’m not saying you should never tell her about your feelings. You could always tell her years down the line and you can both have a good chuckle about how you ‘used to’ have a crush on the general. There’s also the possibility that I’m completely wrong and she secretly has always had a crush on you this whole time. Who knows?”   


“Right, thank you… And hey, um, congrats about you and Lucian! Gotta admit though, I thought you’d go with someone else!” he chuckled.   


Victoria tilted her head to the side some. “Oh yeah?” she smirked. “Who did you think I’d end up with?”   


Sam gulped at the question. He had picked up blunt honesty with the sergals and now was starting to regret it. “Well, um… There was a rumor I heard, but it’s ok, we can just forget about that!” He stood up and started to try and slip on his armor.   


With her signature swiftness, Victoria reached out and grabbed the back of Sam’s shirt before he could even get up. “Who did the rumors say I was interested in, Sam?” she asked in a disturbingly calm town.   


“Oh gods, that’s… impressive.” He raised his hands in surrender and turned, a bit uncomfortable. “Well, the rumors were more like you were sneaking around already… with Master Fang.” He quickly added, “It wasn’t bad! No hate or gross rumors, I swear. Just that you were both too shy to be public about it…”   


“Th-that’s ridiculous!” she sputtered. “Vip said the same thing! Fang is so old though! I respect him and all, but I don't wanna do  _ that _ with him! I-I mean, I guess I do have a thing for older gentlemen… But that’s why I’m with somebody like Lucian.” Victoria’s desperation to distance herself from these rumors was palpable. “And the two of us don’t ‘sneak off’. He gives me private lessons on combat and meditation… And a couple years ago he did take me out drinking for my birthday…”   


“You do like him! And don’t give me crap about age. The man is a dragon! You know how long he will live? And trust me, we know you had private lessons. You ever notice how he only ever did that with you?” Sam was smirking now as he looked up at her as she tried to deflect the accusations.

She swallowed hard. “I like him, but not like that. I don’t care about how much longer he will live, I care that he’s already  _ so _ old.” Victoria looked away for a moment. When she looked back after a few seconds, Sam could see she had tears in her eyes. “I thought he gave me so much one-on-one attention because he cared about me and wanted to see me improve… You really think it’s just because he was trying to get in my pants?”   


Sam’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “No! No. Oh, Victoria, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that. I honestly thought that he did it with you that way because he thought you’d learn the most. You were already the best in the class. Part of me thinks he may like you but… not that he was being unprofessional about what he was doing. I’m sorry to upset you like that…” Sam looked down and rubbed her leg just as she had done to him. “Master Fang isn’t the kinda teacher who would train you extra just to sleep with you. He does it because he believes in us.”   


She immediately pulled her leg away as Sam tried to touch it. “Y-yeah, you’re probably—”

“Geraldson! Wildheart!” the general’s voice boomed through the closed door. “I’m waiting on you! You have one minute to get out here before you get sprayed!”   


“Go. I’ll catch up…” Sam said, now having even more on his conscience. As he had to rush to get in his armor.   


“You better hurry,” the snow leopard warned him. She wiped her eyes and nose as she hurried to meet Ruby just outside the barracks. Three horses were waiting for them, and the general was already on one.   


Sam somehow made it outside in less than a minute. He was unable to look up at the two women as he threw his bag onto his horse and climbed up. “My fault, General. I’m sorry for taking so long.”   


“Just hurry and get saddled up before I change my mind about letting you come,” the skunk said grumpily. Luckily for Victoria, her anger with Geraldson kept her from noticing the red, wet eyes of Wildheart as she mounted her horse.   


“Yes, ma’am…” He looked at Victoria and then got on his horse. He genuinely hadn’t meant to upset her. He never should’ve said anything, he thought as he rode up to Ruby and waited for her to lead.

General Reynolds rode her horse to the front of their small group. It was well past noon, but with any luck they’d make it to Lightkeep just a few hours after sunset. “Both of you finally ready?” she looked back at the two and asked.

Victoria nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”   


Sam sighed. “Yes ma’am.” He kept his eyes forward, unsure of how to make things better between himself and Victoria.   


Ruby lightly kicked the side of her horse, spurring it forward before it reached a comfortable speed. It was very clear to her that something had happened to Sam’s mood, which just minutes ago had been so cheery. “Don’t wanna leave your sisters behind so soon?” she asked Geraldson, believing she knew the root of his sadness.   


“Huh? Oh, shit! I didn’t even say goodbye… Gods, what is wrong with me?” He kicked his horse so it would move at the same place as Ruby’s. “Sorry, ma’am, I just… Sometimes I need to think before I talk.” He gripped his reins tighter and kept his eyes forward.   


Ruby sighed and slowed her horse to a stop. She turned it around halfway to block the other two horses from proceeding. “I’ll give you five minutes to go say goodbye to your sisters, if you’d like.” They were only a matter of yards from the barracks at this point, but this was still an almost unprecedented display of compassion from Ruby, the woman who’d just been threatening to spray her soldiers if they were just another minute late.   


“I… Thank you…” the easily touched fox teared up and turned his horse around before launching forward in a full gallop, leaving Victoria and Ruby alone for the few minutes that he was gone.   


The snow leopard didn’t know how to process what she’d just seen. As soon as Geraldson ran inside the building, Victoria asked her general, “Why’d you do that?”

Ruby had privately been dreading being asked that exact question. She knew letting Sam say bye would be the nice thing to do, but the skunk had built up something of a reputation in not doing kind things for others. Ruby shrugged and pretended like it was nothing. “Five more minutes won’t kill us.”

“But just a minute ago—”

“Wildheart,” she cut her off, “forget about it. I’m allowed to show an ounce of compassion every once in a while, ok?” She turned her horse to look down the road they’d be headed down.

Victoria felt a smile start to tug at her lips. “Seems to me the general has a soft spot for that kid.”

“Wildheart!” Ruby lifted her tail high up, opening up the opportunity for a clean shot from her rear to the snow leopard.

“I’m s-sorry!” the leopard immediately said. “I-I was just joking. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m so sorry.”

“Hmph,” Ruby grunted. A second later her tail started to fall back down to rest on the back of her horse’s saddle. The two spent the few remaining minutes waiting on the sergeant in total silence.

Not long after, the two girls could see Sam trotting back, but he was not alone. The girl beside the sergeant was just a hair taller than Sam. Overall she looked to have very cute features, as foxes were known to possess. Her eyes were purple and her fur a reddish color. Scattered around her mouth and cheeks were soft, white spots. She was dressed in robes of the church, which she seemed to fill out even though they weren’t meant to accentuate physical features. She walked on the ground beside Sam’s horse and smiled up at the other women. “Greetings. I am Miranda Geraldson. My brother told me you allowed him to say farewell, so in return I would like to offer a prayer to keep you safe during your travels to Lightkeep and beyond.” She held her paws out to both Ruby and Victoria to see if they would accept the blessing.   


In spite of her kindness shown just a moment ago, General Reynolds felt irritated as she realized they were about to be slowed down even further. “Fine,” she said curtly, “but make it quick.” Ruby held her paw down to Miranda and Victoria did the same.   


“Do not fret, General, I will only take a few seconds…” The female fox took both their paws and began to sing, weaving scripture and a wish for safe travels and a safe return into a prayer.

Ruby wasn’t big on religion, but even she felt a faint warmth fill her chest. Victoria as well could feel her chest get a little warmer as the fox finished.

“Be safe,” she said to them before turning to look at Sam one more time. “Be safe, brother,” she said specifically to him, offering a paw up to him as well. Sam nodded and smiled as he held on to her hand for a second.   


“Sam!” the skunk hissed as the sergeant’s grip on his sister’s paw went on for a moment longer than it needed to. Her shout spooked him into letting go of the other fox. “I’m not telling you again!” She pulled on her reins and led the group down the road, not even thanking Miranda for the blessing before heading off.

“Y-yeah, of course,” Sam said hurriedly as he waved to his sister and started to ride alongside Victoria.   


The three rode on in relative silence for quite a long time.


	19. Lightkeep Revisited

Before too long, the sun looked to be getting ready to set. Sam opened his book and started to mutter a spell. A second later, a tiny orb of light floated over their heads. He smiled slightly, hoping he was being helpful.

Ruby had been enjoying the illumination provided by Sam’s overhead ‘candle’, but as the sun dipped below the horizon and it started to truly become dark out, she noticed an unwanted side effect.

“Geraldson,” she called back to the sergeant, “put out that light for me. You’re attracting moths and mosquitoes.”

“Oh, right.” He shut it off and sighed softly as he looked around. “We really did make good time. We should get there in a few hours if we don’t run into trouble.”

The skunk sighed and slumped forward onto her horse’s neck. “Still not soon enough,” she whined. “Did either of you pack food? I’m starving.”

“Oh, I actually know a spell for that!” Sam rode up beside Ruby and offered her his hand. “I need to hold your hand to do it.”

“You have a spell for not being hungry?” she scoffed. “No thank you, I’ll just sate it the old-fashioned way in a few hours.”

“Oh, come on… Victoria?” Sam turned to glance at her and then turned away quickly. “Never mind… Here.” He handed Ruby a small, canvas bag full of a variety of food. “This enough?”

“That’ll be fine, thanks.” She took the bag from the sergeant, untied it, and began eating.

As Geraldson resumed riding alongside Victoria, the girl asked him, “Did you really learn all these spells just in the past week?”

“Yeah. Sara said I’m a natural at it, actually. I can’t do anything crazy, but I can learn new things very fast.” He rode in silence for a moment. “Though I suppose growing up in the church helped. So much memorizing in church, I guess I’ve gotten really good at that!” Sam said proudly.

“Are your sisters equally as magical as you?” Victoria asked. “Or are they just really good at praying and singing?”

“My sisters aren’t magic at all, really. They are very holy though. They get their power from the gods. The one you met is probably better at healing than me… They’re also much better at singing than me,” Sam added with a small chuckle.

Victoria laughed along with him. “Hey, what did that blessing do for us anyway? Like, could I jump off my horse right now and not sprain my ankle?”

“I’m really, really tempted to say go for it… But no, it’s probably not like that. The song was about St. Dan Lartharian. The saint was known for making many dangerous journeys to and from his home city to small villages all over. He prayed and sang on his walks, and although he was captured many times, he was never harmed. So now the church prays and sings his chant for long and dangerous pilgrimages,” Sam said as he kept his eyes out for danger on the unlit road.

“Very interesting…” the snow leopard said. “So you think you’re gonna spend time with Sara again once we get to Lightkeep?”

Sam gulped and glanced at Ruby, who seemed to not be listening. He nodded to Victoria and whispered back, “Y-yeah, probably… She really wanted me to stay, so she’s probably going to be happy to see me again so soon. If I’m able to see her, that is.”

“I don’t know how I feel about losing two of my soldiers to sergal romance…” Ruby, who apparently had been listening in, said. “But Lord Saxon seemed convinced that it can only be helpful to prove that romance is possible between our races.”

“So,  _ you _ wouldn’t be upset if I ended up with someone like her?” He asked with a hint of genuine wonder.

“It would be annoying. With Victoria likely going on maternity leave soon, I’d prefer not to lose yet another soldier for these damn political reasons, but I guess I couldn’t stop you.”

Victoria blushed, unsure if Sam had heard from the other soldiers about her pregnancy yet.

“Oh, ok…” Sam was a little upset about Ruby’s indifference to his romantic situation, but then he perked up a bit and smiled at Victoria. Not wanting to make her angry again, all he said was, “Congratulations, Victoria! I’m happy for you.”

The leopard smiled. “Thank you… I’m still very nervous about it all, but also quite excited.” She brushed some hair out of her face.

“Hey, Geraldson,” the skunk in front said. “Don’t you think some sergal men will envy you, getting to mate with one of their queens? How would they react to something like that?”

“Not sure, to be honest… But from what I’ve seen and heard, it’s actually much more common for Den Mothers to mate with other species. If a sergal impresses a Mother enough, however, they may be chosen. But that doesn’t happen often.”

Ruby then chose to ask a question that’d been nagging her for quite some time. “Sam, are all Den Mothers lesbian or bisexual?”

Sam actually laughed a bit, “No ma’am, all  _ sergals _ are bisexual. They also are usually very open about sex. Not all, though…” He directed that last sentence at Victoria. “But they all seem not to care whether they are with males, females, or both at once. But why are you asking? Is it because of Vivian?”

“Vivian,” the general said, “and Nicole. They both seemed to make advances on me, though Vivian did so much more explicitly.” She looked over her shoulder at Victoria and flashed her a sympathetic look as if apologizing for Vivian’s possession of the snow leopard.

Sam paused. It wasn’t a smart idea, but he asked anyway. “Does that mean you are also going to pursue that relationship?”

“…I’m thinking about it,” the skunk said. “I refuse to do anything until she’s out of the corporal’s head, though. After that, we may do a few things in private. I’m not sure a relationship is the best idea, though. They never seem to work out for me, and I don’t want to risk breaking the heart of an all-powerful, magical woman.”

“Right. Breaking hearts is very bad.” Sam was slowly making up his mind on what would be best for him, but her response didn’t help him decide. He really had grown to care for the general and sometimes thought she even felt the same. If she really did try things with Vivian, though, he hoped Ruby’s nature wouldn’t grate on the all-powerful woman. “I just hope things go smoothly.”

“Sam, you’ve spent more time with a Den Mother than I have. What are the limits of their power? If I, say, do end up breaking Mother Vivian’s heart and need to flee, can she cast a spell to force me to stay in place, or turn me inside out, or anything like that?”

“Hmm, well… I would say that Vivian definitely could, in a number of ways, physically force you to stay. I don’t believe she has the power to say, alter your thoughts or make you love her, but breaking her heart I’m sure wouldn’t be… pretty. Though if you didn’t do anything mean or cruel, I don’t see her making any physical moves against you.”

In Victoria’s mind, Vivian whispered softly, as if it were spoken right into her ear. “Your little fox friend is correct… Let’s just say I’ve never reached my limit of what I can do.” She almost felt a nibble and could hear a laugh as the voice faded.

“Uh…” Victoria chimed in. “It seems like Vivian was listening in on your conversation… She said Sam has it just about right, and that she's never reached her ‘limit’.”

“Gods dammit, seriously?” the general complained. “Great. So she knows now that I’m not all that interested in pursuing a real relationship. Awesome.”

“Wow, so she’s just in your head… Oh gods, does that mean she heard what I was telling you earlier?!” Sam asked, upset both about the violation of privacy by being eavesdropped on and the fact that the Den Mother now knew about his feelings.

‘Indeed it does,’ Vivian whispered in Victoria’s ear. ‘And I won’t let a cute fox such as yourself take that skunk away from me. Ruby is  _ mine _ !’

After hearing those words, Victoria slowly nodded at Sam. “And she’s not happy with the idea of competing with you,” she whispered.

When Victoria was done talking, Ruby looked over her shoulder at the two. “What are you talking about?” the general demanded. “What conversation are you saying Vivian eavesdropped on?”

‘Busted!’ Vivian purred in Victoria's ear.

Sam hung his head a bit. “It… It was just a private conversation. I didn’t know the den mother would hear me.” He looked over to Victoria for help.

“Fine. Victoria, ride ahead, will you?” Ruby ordered, slowing her own horse down some. “I’d like to talk to the sergeant in private, without Mother Vivian’s eavesdropping.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Victoria said obediently, kicking her calf against her horse’s side to speed up and go in front. As she traded places with Ruby, she mouthed ‘I’m sorry!’ to the sergeant.

Once Victoria was farther away, Sam rode his horse beside Ruby, not turning his head yet. “Sorry, General… Didn’t mean to cause a scene.”

“What were you and Wildheart talking about?” the skunk demanded. “And did I overhear something about the Den Mother ‘competing’ with you?”

Sam winced when she said that before slowly nodding. “Sara, the other Den Mother… Well I didn’t tell you, but she wanted to bond with me.”

“Are you lying to me, Sam?” Ruby asked. “Just a second ago, I know that I heard you and Victoria talking about Den Mother Vivian, the one that’s in Victoria’s head. When did this conversation suddenly switch to Sara?”

“No! No, I’m getting to that… When I pulled Victoria to the side back in the barracks, I told her about Sara and all that.” He took a deep breath. “I also told her about how I hadn’t taken her offer at the time… because I had feelings for you.” Sam tensed up, fearing that Ruby may spray him just for saying that.

Ruby stared at him for a few seconds. “You have… romantic feelings… for me, your general? Are you serious? Is this all because of that night we were forced to sleep in the same bed at Lightkeep?”

“No, it’s not just that… I’ve felt this way for quite a while, if I’m being honest. Just, when you held me, it made it all stronger, and… Well, you keep showing me kindness, so I thought that might mean you liked me…” The more he talked, the quieter and more embarrassed he got.

“Geraldson, I show kindness occasionally because I’m your general and that’s what I’m supposed to do. Maybe I give a bit of special treatment to you specifically, but that’s because you’re exceedingly loyal to me and always do as I say.” She sighed as they kept riding. “You do know I’m a lesbian, right? I date girls, not boys. On top of that, I’m not supposed to date someone in my company; That’s the epitome of unprofessionalism.”

“Well… I thought maybe you were bi? And you dated Collins…” He looked down and then back at Ruby.

She sighed before deciding to confess something. “Look, Geraldson, for every man I’ve been with, I’ve probably been with ten women. And dating someone like Captain Collins is entirely different from dating somebody who is directly below me in my company. You and I could  _ never _ work out, so what is it going to take for you to forget about your romantic feelings for me? If someone who’s supposed to follow my orders acts illogically because they have a crush on me, that’s just asking for mistakes to be made.”

He smiled weakly, looking over at the general. “I’m still loyal, ma’am. I wasn’t trying to get you to date me or anything like that. I do think you’re a great general. I hope you’re not mad and that you don’t see me any differently.”

He was quiet for a bit then just smiled. “If I had your blessing with the Den Mother, and if I knew you didn’t think less of me for my thoughts, then I think I would be happy.” He turned and looked at her, feeling much better now that it was all out in the open.

“You of course have my blessing to court the sergal girl,” Ruby said reassuringly. “And so long as you give up on your feelings for me, I won’t think any less of you. How’s that sound?”

“Well, I mean, I still have feelings, but I understand things better now. You’re my general and nothing more.” He smiled, looking back at the road ahead of them. “Though, if you ever feel like having another friend, that would be nice.”

She didn’t smile back at Sam. “Geraldson, I need you to forget your feelings for me entirely. They could lead you to one day make a very stupid decision in a combat situation for my sake. If you don’t think you can disregard your feelings for me entirely, I have ways of forcing you to drop them.”

Sam just sighed. “Yes, ma’am… Sorry.” He looked at his horse and started softly petting the mane as he took a long breath. “Ok, consider it forgotten.”

“That’s a good soldier,” she said, finally smiling. “It’s for the best, boy.

“Right… You’re right…”

“Between you and me, I make a terrible girlfriend anyway,” she chuckled.

“Ma’am, I think you’re a bit hard on yourself…” Sam said sadly. “How come? What makes you a terrible girlfriend?”

“I’ve sprayed three out of the four girlfriends I’ve had at least once at some point. I can be lazy. I’m messy. Sometimes I’m a little too invested in my job to be a good lover… It’s a lot of things, Sam. Probably too much to even talk about it all right now.”

“General… If that’s all true, please be careful with the Den Mother. I wouldn’t be stupid enough to try and say don’t do it, but…” Sam sighed. “I don’t know… Maybe someone like Vivian could actually be good for you… I know this is all very personal stuff. I just don’t wanna see you get hurt.”

“I can handle myself, Geraldson,” the skunk said. “I’ll be careful with Vivian, and if something does go wrong, I’ll just spray and get outta there until she calms down. I think we’re not too far off from the city now.” Ruby looked off in the distance. She thought she could see the gates to the city, but it was hard to say for sure given the darkness.

Sam shook his head. “I hope you’re joking. You would spray her—somebody who is essentially a goddess to these people? They will remove your glands, and that’s the best possible outcome. And our kingdom would let that happen if it means keeping the alliance.”

“I didn’t say I would spray  _ her _ ,” Ruby said. “Look, I don’t truly anticipate anything to go so massively wrong between her and me. I may offend her some, but so far she’s been forgiving of that. I’m just saying that, if I really needed to, I could defend myself.”

“…Ok,” he said, sounding almost defeated. He didn’t want to argue, especially if it would most likely leave her more angry when she had to see the Den Mother soon. The gates were approaching up ahead, which was a welcome sight. The trip had indeed been safe and free of incident. “I’m sorry… I don’t doubt your strength or skill. I won’t bring it up again, General.”

“General Ruby Reynolds and company,” a guard at the gates greeted the three as they approached. “Den Mother Vivian told us of your arrival.” The gates immediately began to creak open for them.

The city had changed greatly since their last visit. The streets had sergal troops and Scribes moving all over, turning the once calm port city into a defensive fortress.

A red-furred sergal who resembled Lucian in both ranking and appearance greeted Ruby, Sam, and Victoria at the main gate with a bow. “Lady Ruby, Lady Victoria. Ah, Sam, back again so soon. Sara will be pleased, I’m sure.”

Sam couldn’t help but blush slightly. “Commander Brynjolf. How go the defenses?”

“Slow, I admit… So far we have dismantled most of the smaller vessels and used the materials to help fortify the port and the inner wall of the city. We have moved all the Den Mothers into the heart of the city for their safety. The largest manor holds House Red. Shall I take you there now? I believe that Vivian is meeting with a few other Mothers now going over battle plans.” Brynjolf directed that last part to Ruby, as she was the highest-ranking member of the group.

Ruby nodded. “All three of us actually have business with the Den Mothers of House Red, so we would appreciate it if you could guide us all there.”

He nodded and turned, gesturing for two of the white-furred soldiers to come over and take their horses to the stables.

As their non-essential gear and horses were taken to the stables, the commander started to lead them three soldiers into the city. As they walked, they saw a few places of business open, but for the most part the town was completely devoid of civilians. Lightkeep didn’t have much in the way of nobles or duchesses, but the few it had been home to lived in the several great manors. Its previous residents having been forcefully removed when the sergals, the Den Mothers were free to move in to them. Coincidentally, there were just enough manors for each of the Dens to get its very own home.

The commander walked them up to the largest one. After passing through a beautiful garden path that led to a beautifully carved door, he knocked on it and waited for an answer.

A servant sergal, one clearly too old and too short to possibly fill many other positions in their society, answered the door. After a brief discussion with Brynjolf and the visitors, he led the small group up a flight of stairs. There, the commander who had been their escort up to this point departed, leaving Ruby, Victoria, and Sam to sit on an elegant couch and wait for the Mothers to finish up their business before meeting with them.

The same servant brought everyone drinks, serving them all with a rather kind smile. From upstairs, the sounds of voices grew louder and footsteps were heard as they descended the stairs. “Let us meet again tomorrow evening…” one said. “I shall direct my soldiers as needed. Vivian, I don’t care who might be coming; You will remember the enemy we face and your duties as Den Mother.”

“I am well-aware, Mother Felva. I won’t…” They just walked into the room and saw Victoria, Ruby, and Sam. “Oh my… Ruby so—o good to see you!” Mother Vivian said, putting her hands on her wide hips and grinning.

Besides Vivian, there were three other women. Sara, who was the youngest and shortest, had red-tinted fur like all other sergals of House Red but with very unique fur patterns that ran in diagonal stripes across her body. She also had bright, baby blue eyes.

The mother who had been talking previously was a Den Mother of House Winter. Her fur was pure white and longer than that of most other sergals. She looked to be the oldest out of the group, her eyes showing her age and wisdom.

In the back was a blue sergal from House Scribe. She was the spitting image of Den Mother Nicole. All four of them were dressed in very impressive silver and gold armor that looked both durable and flexible.

Ruby stood up the moment the women entered the room and motioned for Victoria to do the same, the cat quickly standing up beside her. “Mother Vivian,” the skunk said, “I believe we have a number of matters to discuss.”

The smallest red sergal woman’s face lit up as she recognized the fox. “Sam!” she called excitedly from the back, waving her hand above the heads of the other Mothers to get his attention.

“H-hi…” Sam waved back, clearly intimidated by all the powerful women who could all see his tail wagging.

Vivian bit her lip, still looking at Ruby. “Oh, we have a great, great many number of things to discuss…”

“Control yourself, Vivian…” the white one muttered before waking closer to the new arrivals, seemingly focused on Ruby. “I am Mother Felva. My sister here is… fascinated by your boldness and your lack of manners. I am not. I hope she straightens you out in preparation for our meeting tomorrow evening.” She motioned the Scribe Mother to follow, and they made their way out of the house.

The general couldn’t help but smirk just a little as she watched how much the more stern Den Mother disapproved of her behavior. She quickly forced herself into a neutral expression, however.

“Mother Vivian,” Ruby said, “you told me this morning through Victoria that you may have newer information on House Black’s plot to unleash a plague. Has that intelligence materialized?”

“Oh, you’re so right-to-the-point… and bossy.” Vivian’s gaze turned to Sam and her eyes narrowed a bit. “Sam…”

Sam gulped and looked down, nervous. “Den Mother Vivian, it’s good to see you again…”

“I’m here too!” Sara called from Vivian’s side, again waving her arm around. She was a little hurt that the only person seemingly willing to acknowledge her presence was Sgt. Geraldson.

“You must be Mother Sara,” Ruby inferred, to the elation of the youngest woman. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is a—all mine!” Sara said eagerly. Ruby got the impression that this was the young woman’s first genuine involvement with the more senior Mothers’ planning.

Sara’s eyes lit up again. “Sam, I wanna show you a new spell I just learned. C’mon!” She stepped over to Sam, grabbed him by the wrist, then ran off down the hall with him like a child excited to show her best friend a new toy.

“Sara, you don’t have to pull so hard!” Though he sounded as if he was resisting, Sam’s tail was wagging as he was pulled off.

Vivian waved a hand at Ruby and Victoria and turned to head back upstairs. “Come, come. Let us talk in my room.”

The two girls followed Vivian up the flight of stairs, Ruby checking out the sergal’s ass as they climbed the steps. She wondered what business they ought to discuss first: House Black, or relieving Victoria of Vivian’s presence in her head.

When they got to her room they could see her beautiful, ornate bed. There was also a massive table with several chairs in the room as well. The room even had a massive bathtub in the corner. “Ladies, come help me take off this armor.” She stood at the foot of her bed, facing away from the girls. Her long tail patted the ground slowly, and Vivian looked back at them with a smirk.

Ruby made a hand motion to tell Victoria to stay where she stood. Ruby would deal with Vivian’s flirtatious request, leaving her straight corporal out of it.

Naturally, the skunk began by helping remove the sergal’s breastplate, lifting it off over her head. “Have you heard anything new about the movements of House Black?” she asked as she helped the Mother undress.

“Yes, I have,” she said as it was revealed that under her armor she had a simple yet skimpy top. As Ruby removed more armor, she could also see a very short skirt on Vivian’s waist.

“Well,” the general knelt to start removing the straps on Vivian’s tall, metal-plated boots, “what’ve you been hearing?”

She made a soft sound as Ruby’s hands moved around the base of her tail. She took a deep breath before answering. “There is a small city a few days away from here. Reafport, it’s called. We sent a scout there, and he’s sent word back that the city is under siege right now by House Black.”

“Reafport,” Ruby echoed. “I’ve heard of the city before. It’s a navy base for one of our neighboring kingdoms. Did your scout report on how they were faring against the invasion?”

“They are holding, it seems, but it won’t be for long. But it also means they won’t be heading this way for a while. That gives us time to prepare.” She gently rested a hand on Ruby. “Drink with me?”

As tempted as Ruby was to indulge in alcohol, she had a promise to Victoria to keep. “Not yet,” the general said as she shrugged Vivian’s paw off and stood up. “First, there is something you have to do for this girl.” She motioned for Victoria to walk over, which the snow leopard did.

Vivian glanced over at Victoria and huffed. “Must I do that now? The girl is fine! She has my power flowing through her. She should thank me for helping her so much, and so should you!”

“A promise is a promise, Vivian…” Ruby reminded her. “You promised to remove yourself from here next time you saw her. It’s not the sergal way to renege on a promise, is it?”

“Do not speak to me of breaking promises,” Vivian leaned over Ruby, her tail wrapping around the skunk’s lower back. “I helped you in your fight with those pathetic gnolls. I helped her when she stupidly tried to spy on House Black. I am owed thanks, am I not?!”

“You ‘helped’ against the gnolls?” Against all reason and concern for her own safety, Ruby took half a step even closer to the sergal woman and stomped her foot. “Victoria nearly tried to kill me. Did you miss that part?” She noticed the tail quickly wrapping around her but didn’t take it as a genuine threat.

“I missed nothing. She simply needed to learn control. Lucian was there—he would’ve stepped in. I would have taken control if she had actually tried to hurt you!” The tail wrapped a bit tighter around Ruby. Vivian’s arms crossed and she looked down into Ruby’s eyes with a low growl.

Ruby bit back a growl right back at her. “Fine,” she finally conceded. “We’ve appreciated your help, but Wildheart wouldn’t like you in her head anymore. Could you please let go of me now?”

The Den Mother smiled a bit and gave her a nod “Was that so hard, love?” She uncurled her tail from around Ruby and she moved over to Victoria. “Hon… I apologize for overstepping my boundaries at times… I’m sure you wouldn’t understand, but I wanted to see if you were good enough for Lucian, and the connection has since made me care for you like a sister.” She took Victoria’s healed hand into hers with a small smile.

Victoria wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. After a couple seconds of awkward sputtering, she said, “Th-thank you, Den Mother. I’m glad to have lived up to your expectations.”

She smiled before rather forcefully gripping Victoria’s head and kissing her hard like they were lovers. Ruby watched in shock as the two swapped spit. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds, but when Vivian pulled away she smiled. “There! I no longer can hear your thoughts or take control of your body without your permission. Are you both happy now?”

When it was all over with, Ruby slowly said, “Is… Is that it?” Victoria wiped her mouth on her sleeve, not so comfortable with another woman kissing her like that.

“Yes, yes it is… Oh, I could have done it with just touching your hand, but gods, can’t blame a girl for trying!” She winked at Victoria, still holding on to her paw. She added in a soft yet serious tone, “The connection is indeed closed but can be opened if needed by you and you alone. Should you need me—for anything—let me know and I shall do what I can. You have my word: I shall not interfere unwillingly again.”

Victoria nodded. “Th-thank you, Den Mother.” She was nearly giddy to the point of tears that she no longer would have to worry about her privacy or losing control to the sergal ever again.

“Now then,” Ruby said, “is there anywhere we can send Victoria to, or give her something to do, so that you and I may… ‘talk’ in private?” She had to admit to herself that she’d been getting quite worked up since entering the Den Mother’s private dwelling. She had a bit of a thing for tails, so when the Mother was trying to intimidate the skunk, all she succeeded in doing was turning her on more.

“Don’t ruin the moment, love. And take off your armor, would you?” She hooked an arm around Victoria and guided her to the door. “Now, for you, hon, I am unfortunately certain that you won’t be staying with us tonight, but I do have a lovely alternative.” She opened the door and whistled. A moment later, Commander Brynjolf came sprinting up the stairs. “Victoria, you’ve met my most respected commander… Or should I say Lucian’s older brother?” She smirked. “Commander, you are to attend to Victoria’s every wish and desire.” The commander simply nodded, a gentle smile on his lips. “Be good, you two…” Vivian ushered Victoria out the door and turned back to Ruby. “Happy now, little boss?”


	20. Intimacy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Explicit chapter)

Ruby smiled. She’d removed her armor as Victoria was re-introduced to the sergal guard and escorted away. She now stood in a cotton undershirt and a thin pair of shorts. “I’m ecstatic, Mother Vivian…” She then took a step forward and slowly leaned in for a kiss, waiting to be sure Vivian would reciprocate.

She did not. Instead, Vivian coiled her tail around Ruby. She was so strong that she was able to lift the general using her tail alone. Vivian cupped Ruby’s chin and kissed her as she carried the skunk hands-free over to the bed. “Ruby… Am I simply another notch in your belt?”

“Couldn’t I say the exact same to you?” Ruby grinned, licking her lips as she was carried over to the elegant bed. “I’m sure I’m not the first you’ve had sex with. No offense, of course.”

“I have had a few partners, yes, but I doubt as many as you… No offense. But I don’t wish this to be over so fast for you.” Vivian laid her down on the massive, soft bed and straddled her waist.

Vivian’s paws started to touch Ruby from the belly up. She slowly pushed her hands under the other woman’s top, claws running over the skunk’s delicate skin and leaving little lines through the fur. “There’s so much of you that I crave, even if you’re the damn most rude and frustrating woman I’ve met!”

Ruby felt two things as Vivian sat on her. The first was an excited wetness that Ruby was familiar with from most of her previous sexual encounters. The other, however, was the poking of something growing harder and harder the more Vivian talked.

The skunk planned on answering Vivian’s question, but then she felt something she didn’t expect as she sat on her lap. “Vivian…” Ruby said, “you didn’t forget to remove a knife from your pocket, did you?”

Vivian bit her lip and stood. From this angle, Ruby couldn’t help but feel small as the giant woman pulled down her shorts and kicked them away. Ruby was then able to see that she didn’t have a knife, but instead a quickly hardening cock in addition to her vagina. “How’s the view down there, hon?”

She stared with wide eyes in amazement. “No way…” she mumbled to herself. “Y-you’re a hermaphrodite?” Ruby asked, ignorant of the biology of the sergals.

“All of us Den Mothers are… Why? Did that just help my odds?” She sat back down slowly. Her every movement was fluid and nearly hypnotic in a way that was unlike any other female Ruby had been with. Vivian went back to touching the general, loving everything about the comparatively small woman’s body.

Ruby nodded, leaning forward to remove Vivian’s top, the last of the clothes that remained on her body. “Now me,” she said with a smile after taking a minute to appreciate Vivian’s fit, busty body. Just as with the women in her kingdom, her nipples were obscured by a layer of fur. “Your turn to strip me…”

Vivian laughed softly and much less gently tore your top off. Her claws tore through the fabric of Ruby’s shirt slowly and left her bare, no bra underneath. She then slowly pulled her shorts off and kissed down her entire chest slowly.

Now that she was shirtless, Vivian could tell that Ruby—like most striped skunks—had a white patch on her belly which extended up to the center of her chest. The rest of the front of her torso was black. Her back, however, was black with two stripes of white fur that ran down her neck as a single line, diverged around her shoulder, then ran parallel until reaching her lower back, where they continued down her tail.

As much as Ruby enjoyed it as Vivian kissed her sensitive chest, this was not how the skunk had grown accustomed to having sex. She was not used to being the bottom. Ruby placed her hands on Vivian’s chest before sitting up and shoving her back onto the small army of pillows that adorned the head of the sergal’s bed. She then climbed atop her and started to kiss and nibble at her neck and shoulder.

Vivian instantly extended her claws, her eyes wide, but then breathed out slowly. Being pushed around like this was new for her, so naturally she got defensive, but eventually she found herself moaning just as Ruby had. “Fine, I’ll let you be the boss for now…”

Ruby was lucky enough not to see the claws extend from Vivian’s fingertips when they did. Female sergals were the only ones with retractable claws, and they were far more jagged and fearsome-looking than any male’s.

“What’s wrong, little kitty?” Ruby teased, picking up on the resentment in Vivian’s voice over playing the sub. “Not used to being on the bottom, hmm?”

Vivian smacked Ruby’s rear hard and rolled her over again. She forced her mouth onto the skunk’s with the same neediness that she had felt when she first looked upon Ruby. “I am Den Mother Vivian, and I’ll show you what I want!”

Ruby jumped as the sergal in an instant turned the tables on her. She did however play along and kiss Vivian back just as forcefully as she was being kissed. After a couple seconds though, she pulled away. “One disclaimer,” Ruby said, “you have to be careful around my ass. If anything hits it too hard or goes in it… Well, you don’t want that to happen.” She had no idea whether Vivian knew of Ruby’s abilities as a skunk, but she hoped she’d be taken seriously.

The Mother smirked widely and bit the skunk’s lip just as she let her long fingers slip inside of Ruby’s slit. The slowly curled inside her in a clearly talented gesture, eliciting a moan from the lustful girl. “Or what? You’re going to spray? Some of the native residents of Lightkeep told me about your species’… unique characteristic. Let me make it clear that your spraying wouldn’t have the effect that you might expect on me…”

Ruby raised an eyebrow before being forced to moan again as she was fingered. Once she composed herself again, Ruby asked, “D-do the females of your species not have a strong sense of smell?”

Vivian grinned and nibbled her ear, talking softly into it as she kept slowly fingering. “Oh, we do… Let’s just say that I’m a very messed-up woman and have some strange interests.” She laughed softly.

“Oh, my…” Ruby trailed off, continuing to be fingered. “W-well, I’d still discourage you from making me spray… unless, of course, one of your strange interests is a certain general puking on your bed,” she chuckled. As Vivian played with her pussy, Ruby reached her own hands down the Mother’s waist. After briefly getting confused by her cock, she found Vivian’s pussy. Ruby wasn’t turned off by the penis, but it wasn’t what she was after now. She lubricated her finger in Vivian’s juices and began gently rubbing circles around her clit.

The two of them rubbed back and forth inside each other for quite a while. Being an excellent kisser, Vivian pushed her tongue into Ruby’s maw and wrapped it around her tongue.

“Mmm!” Ruby exclaimed as her tongue was dwarfed in length by the sergal’s. She genuinely had not expected it to be so long or dexterous. She tried to pull her head back from Vivian’s, but that seemed to only tighten her grip.

As Vivian moaned out and pulled her closer by the tongue. Two of her fingers were slowly fingering inside Ruby’s cunt while her thumb crept closer to her ass. Without warning, Vivian then sunk her thumb into Ruby’s asshole and began massaging her scent glands in a way the skunk had never felt before.

Ruby winced as she fought her body, trying to keep herself from spraying. “V-Vivian!” she gasped. “Y-you don’t know what you’re getting yourself—!”

Vivian leaned in closer and looked Ruby in the eye as she pressed her thumb down harder than ever before on the sensitive glands.

Despite the fact that this felt extremely odd and uncomfortable for Ruby, it was also surprisingly pleasurable, though she knew that pleasure was about to be overshadowed by something much, much more foul. The skunk couldn’t hold herself back any longer, and she burst. Musk squirted out from her rear and drenched Vivian’s paw and bed with a sick hissing sound. It didn’t even take a full second for the stench to reach their noses. Ruby, who had stopped rubbing the sergal’s clit when the threat of spraying entered the equation, used both of her hands to cover her nose, but the smell seeped in nonetheless. She shut her eyes as they began to water. This had to be the most she’d ever sprayed at once. She’d never been so directly stimulated there before.

While Ruby seemed to be on the precipice of vomiting, the musk had almost the opposite effect on Vivian, though even the great Den Mother couldn’t keep her eyes from involuntarily watering. Despite the fact that nearly all of her senses felt as if they were under assault, she inhaled deeply and seemed to even shake in delight. She slid her mouth down Ruby’s chest all the way to her pussy, where she pushed her long, powerful tongue deep into her, forcing the skunk to moan louder than she had in years.

Vivian did as she promised: She showed Ruby why she was a Den Mother, a powerful woman that got her way no matter what, and she could tell that Ruby loved it. Her tongue was so far inside Ruby it may as well have been a cock. It swirled and writhed inside of her, touching her in ways she had never felt before.

“A-aah!!” the skunk moaned. The only oral she could even begin to compare to this came from a lizard woman she had sex with a few times. She wasn’t absolutely certain how she felt about a tongue so deep inside her, but she knew it felt good. It was almost good enough to make her forget about the unbearable stinging in her nose and eyes.

There was a small basin of some strong, herb-scented water next to the bed. After giving Ruby oral sex for quite a while, Vivian sat up and dipped her sprayed hand into the bowl and then pressed her hand into Ruby’s face. To the skunk’s surprise, it smelled just a fraction as bad as she expected it to smell. Vivian looked at her with a wide smirk.

It was clear Vivian had prepared for this. Clearly she had consulted the locals of Lightkeep about Ruby’s species and how to deal with her smell. Many knew of the herb fabled to lift any foul scent in the world, but very few had the ability to buy it or seek it out in the wild themselves. Of course, this was no issue for the powerful and influential Den Mother. “What was that about being a bottom, love?”

“I-I must admit, I’m impressed,” Ruby confessed, a smile on her face. “But, my dear, it wouldn’t be fair if only I experienced all the pleasure, would it now?” The skunk started to pull herself up into a sitting position.

The room still smelled unspeakably vile, and it was likely that neither the stain Ruby’s musk left in Vivian’s sheets nor its accompanying aroma would ever be removed. Still, Ruby was relatively used to her scent and Vivian seemed to quite enjoy it. The initial shock of the scent had since faded and no longer forced their eyes to water.

“Not at all… but I want to show you that I’m more than eager to be the best for you. But I’m curious to see what you’re willing to show me in return. I’ll play the part you’re wanting.” Vivian smirked, sitting up on her knees and showing off that she was dripping from both her cock and pussy.

Ruby bit her lip. Perhaps Vivian really could be the one for her. Judging by the oral alone, this could be the best woman she’d ever slept with. The skunk just hoped that she’d be able to compare. In fact, given Ruby’s normal-sized tongue and non-retractable claws, she was fairly certain she didn’t even measure up to Vivian. Still, Ruby lunged at the other woman, prepared to do her best.

She started by almost viciously kissing the sergal, to the point where she actually drew a drop of blood from Vivian’s lower lip. Meanwhile she began slowly fingering her pussy and stroking her cock.

Vivian was more than turned on. All she did with her hands was firmly grip Ruby’s ass and squeeze. When she felt her lip bleed—something all her previous lovers had been too afraid to do before—her moans reached an entirely new high. Her pussy was incredibly wet, ensuring Ruby’s fingering was insanely smooth. Her cock was throbbing at all the overwhelming stimulation Ruby was giving her as the general picked up the speed.

Ruby pulled her mouth off of Vivian’s. After licking her own lips free of blood, she withdrew her fingers from the Den Mother’s pussy and licked them off, savoring the sergal’s sweet taste. She then lowered her head to Vivian’s cock, which was the biggest she’d ever seen—though, admittedly, Ruby could count the number of erect penises she’d ever seen before on one hand. Slowly she enveloped the tip of it with her mouth and continued to stroke up and down the shaft with one hand.

Having known Ruby’s preference, Vivian did not expect her to so readily move on to the cock. She moaned out loudly as the skunk started to suck on her tip. That act alone was the most surprising enough to make the Den Mother watched in amazing, panting and moaning in bliss.

After a few more minutes, Ruby lifted her head up. “Hey… This cock of yours… it can’t orgasm, can it?”

“Can’t… a girl… have a few secrets?” Vivian panted with a slight grin. She pulled Ruby closer by the ass, kissing her neck slowly. “I cum out of both, but it’s all feminine hon. You won’t get pregnant, I assure you.”

Ruby licked her lips. “What are you waiting for then?” she teased, smiling before Ruby pulling Vivian in for one more long, rough kiss.

Vivian didn’t hesitate. Both women were ready and in need of satisfaction. While still kissing, Vivian laid Ruby down on her back and pressed her hips between the skunk’s legs. As Vivian deepened the kiss, she slid her cock into her with one fluid movement, her tongue still playing with Ruby’s.

Ruby gasped as Vivian slid into her, then let out a long, deep moan. She was so turned on that lubrication wasn’t at all an issue for them. The skunk wrapped her arms tight around Vivian’s head and pulled her in for an even tighter kiss as the sergal slipped deeper into her.

Vivian was slow and tender with the skunk… at first. She suddenly grabbed Ruby’s wrists and pinned her arms down over her head. Ruby got to watch as the sergal’s claws extended to ensure her tight grip as she started to thrust faster and faster. The Den Mother’s breaths started out slow and calm. She was intent on making this last as long as possible.

While Vivian’s breathing may have been calm and steady, Ruby’s was not. Her gasps with each thrust had turned into lustful pants of excitement. She felt the Mother’s wet cunt slam up against her ass each time Vivian sunk her penis into the skunk.

The thrusts were starting to get very intense. Vivian’s entire body slamming into Ruby’s cunt with heavy, needy moans. As Ruby took a moment to look up at the powerful woman over her, she saw that her mouth was open, her white teeth gleaming. She wasn’t looking back into her eyes, however. She was staring at her neck.

She followed Vivian’s line of sight, and she knew what she was planning: Vivian wanted to perform that sergal bonding ritual she’d heard of. Ruby still didn’t know how to feel about it. As good as she felt at this moment, there was still some rational part of her brain telling her that making such a momentous decision while deep in the throes of passionate love-making wasn’t the best idea.

Vivian was quite sure the lovely skunk wouldn’t bite her back. At that moment, she was fine with that. She was going to leave a nice love bite to mark the occasion. Vivian couldn’t hold back anymore and slammed her cock in all the way. The hard thrusts shook Ruby’s insides as the Den Mother came from both her privates. Right at that blissful moment, Vivian pulled Ruby’s head to the side and bit into her neck. It hurt and there was some blood, but at the same time it was the most intense feeling Ruby could imagine.

As soon as she felt the teeth sink into her neck, it was like Ruby’s inhibitions melted away. ‘Fuck it,’ she thought, and leaned forward to bite Vivian as well. Once her mouth found the sergal’s neck, she shut her eyes and bit down just hard enough to draw blood.   


Just as the taste of blood filled her mouth, however, it was like something else came with it. The bond took hold of the two once separated souls until they became one. Memories flooded their minds.

———

Nothing could describe the tidal wave of emotions that came flowing out of Ruby. Vivian could see some memories that not even the girl herself knew she had. Among her very first were memories as a child in her mother’s home. Unlike Ruby, her mom wasn’t a skunk, but a cat. She’d gotten pregnant from a skunk she didn’t even know the full name of.

Though she initially believed herself to be capable of caring and providing for her striped offspring, before too long she came to realize that she could no longer support her daughter. Before Ruby was even two years old, her mother dropped her off on the front porch of an orphanage late one night, knocked on the door, and ran away. The skunk toddler could remember arguing with those who ran the orphanage, insisting that her mother would come back for her. She began to cry as hours passed and it became quite clear no one was coming back for her.

As the administrators, who clearly understood what was going on better than the poor toddler did, tried to show her where the newly abandoned girl would be living, Ruby threw a temper tantrum, still unable to comprehend that she would never see her mother again. She sprayed several of those in charge before finally being locked in her new bedroom and crying herself to sleep, but not before tearing the room up in a rage as well.

She begrudgingly stayed in the orphanage for about ten years, regularly getting into fights and occasionally getting arrested by the police when no one else could handle her. Almost never did she do what she was told. The last time she obediently followed orders was when her mother whispered to her that rainy night, telling her to stand still on the porch while mommy ran off to get something. Ruby wasn’t too keen on following instructions ever since then.

Sometime when she was 13 and granted the legal freedom to choose how she lived as a young adult according to the kingdom of Kas Ragnoc, she finally fled the orphanage with her only belongings—her clothes—and started living on the streets and in alleyways. This life was far, far less glamorous than that in the orphanage, but her pride and hatred for nearly everyone in that building kept her from ever returning. She had no money to pay for food, so she picked up a habit of stealing from bakeries and shops. At first she would simply take from dumpsters, but just a short while after that she got bolder and decided she wanted the best stuff, and that wasn’t something you could get from trash bins. Street vendors were usually her favorite to target, as they usually had little in the way of security in addition to dozens of people walking by in any given minute. She could usually slip back into the crowd unnoticed before someone realized the food had been taken.

Occasionally, however, she would get caught in the act by the sellers, and that’s when the vendors would either let her go because they’d heard of the girl’s nasty reputation, or they would soon learn. Overall, the girl would prove herself to generally not be worth the trouble. The amount of food she took from a shop on any given day was almost negligible, and the price for trying to stop her was much steeper than that of the bread she took. Some sellers would even start leaving morsels of food out for her specifically to take, usually labeled something along the lines of ‘Reserved for skunk girl’. She of course never gave her name, or even spoke to any of these vendors, not even the nice ones.

Ruby would go on to live this way for around a year. She was pretty sure she lived by her lonesome for a little over a full year, but given that she did not have an exact date that she left the orphanage, Ruby was never able to calculate just how long she was homeless.

Her daily routine started by waking up wherever she had been sleeping the previous night, which was usually behind a dumpster somewhere. She would then often spend her mornings picking the fleas out of her fur. No matter how long she did so, she’d always find more. She had tried removing them in the public bathhouses before, but no one ever told her that it was a combination of soap and water that got rid of the pesky bugs. Had she known that, she likely would have stolen soap and dealt with the irritating pests much sooner. Instead she lived with the constant flea bites day in and day out. Some days it felt like the little parasites were the closest thing she had to a friend.

After her morning ritual of mindlessly picking at her fleas for an untold amount of time, she would usually then scavenge for food, taking what little was left out for her and stealing whatever else was needed to fill her up before retiring to some new sleeping place for the night.

Eventually, for reasons related or unrelated to Ruby, security around the open-air markets tightened, and Ruby had to find somewhere else to steal food from. And that was when she finally worked up the courage to steal from army barracks. There, she hit the mother lode. Not only were they almost totally unsupervised at night, but in certain cabinets were tight, pre-assembled bags of an assortment of food: meat, grain, dried fruit—everything that a starving skunk could ever want.

And, to be honest, she went a little overboard. She started out by stealing one at a time just to satisfy her hunger, but then when she found she could get away with one, she got greedy and began taking three or four sacks of food at a time just so that she wouldn’t have to sneak back in for an entire week.

Ruby’s favorite barrack to target was one run by a dragon-like man who was nearing retirement age. She could sneak out a few bags at a time and seemingly get away with it each time. She presumed that he either hadn’t noticed or simply didn’t care about the missing rations. It was her assumption that he was near retirement and had lost interest in such small details as the number of MREs stashed away.

As it turned out, however, the dragon did care. He had still been taking inventory regularly and he had taken notice of the missing food.

One night, as Ruby was stealing rations from the barrack just as she’d grown accustomed to, she noted that they seemed to be catching on to her. There were guards stationed on all ways in save for one, which she masterfully snuck her way into. As she was gathering up her treasure, however, a lamp flickered on behind her. Just as she expected to be grabbed or shouted at, she heard laughter. The dragon evidently found it hilarious just how much her stomach had bulged out since she adopted her new, high-calorie diet composed of food taken from the barracks.

Ruby did not find the fact that she’d been caught as funny as the dragon did. She started toward the exit, but Fang blocked her path. She hissed at him in warning, but he still did not back down. As he took a step towards her, she spun around and doused him with her vile musk. It seemed to work at first, but after initially recoiling, he surprised her by recovering an instant later! As she later found out, his race possessed the unique ability to shut their nostrils to block out smoke—or, as came in handy in this case, foul scents. He wrestled Ruby to the ground and held her down as she tired herself out by biting and scratching against his thick, scaly hide. She made no progress before other soldiers came and took her away.

Once she’d calmed down, the dragon sat the 14-year-old skunk down and gave her an ultimatum: she could stay and get all the food she wanted in exchange for becoming a soldier once she was 18, or he could turn her in to the Kas Ragnoc police and let them deal with her. Ruby was skeptical that he’d actually be able to make such an offer to a thief, but he assured her that he knew Lord Saxon, an important political figure whom she had heard a great deal about over the years. He told her it would be no issue to have her crimes forgiven in exchange for a little military service. Hesitantly, she agreed. Ruby was given her very own bedroom that was separate from the much older soldiers that also occupied the barracks. The bedroom was previously occupied by Fang himself, but he moved into his office just for her.

The very next day, Fang took her to the closest bathhouse. To use his words, she was nearly equal parts skunk and flea. When she expressed discomfort at the idea of an older man accompanying her to the bath, citing a close call she’d had with an attempted abduction by an old man while living on the streets years ago, Fang ordered one of his female staff sergeants to take the girl. Ruby spent almost the entire day in the water, applying and reapplying shampoo specially formulated to kill fleas into her fur and picking the dead bugs out.

In retrospect, this experience in which she shared the water with another nude female was probably the first time Ruby found herself drawn to the female form. Although in all fairness, she was too busy dealing with the daily stress of her troubled life up to that point to lend much consideration to her budding sexuality.

The day following her first bath in years, however, was not as easy on the newly out-of-shape skunk. As her training began, Fang handed her a wooden sword and asked her to do her worst. Deciding she wouldn’t be as effective with the blunt instrument, she immediately dropped it and lunged at him to scratch and bite as much as she could. After some careful explanation from him that this was just training so that she may one day use a weapon that could deal some real damage, though, she did eventually get the hang of it.

Vivian watched as Ruby’s young adulthood played out before her eyes. Ruby learned she was gay around the age of 16 and lost her virginity to a girl she met in town later that same year. Though Fang initially disapproved of her bringing dates around to the barracks to spend the night, he eventually gave in when he realized she’d just continue doing it in secret.

She watched as the skunk got herself into relationship after relationship, each of which seemed to fall apart just as quickly as it began. Her relationship with Captain Collins seemed like it would last, until a fight broke out, which ended up quite ugly for both the women. Despite her increasingly blaming herself for the doomed relationships, it seemed she was incapable of bettering herself. At the age of 26 she finally told herself that she simply could not love anyone. She told herself that the abandonment issues stemming from her mother ruined her chances of ever truly trusting a woman again.

She had even disintegrated her relationship with her mentor and father figure to the point that she no longer felt like she could come to him to discuss her woes. Instead, she turned to alcohol and drank herself to sleep nearly every night she could. Eventually she concluded that there was no getting better for her. Interestingly enough, she did not fall into a spiraling depression that such a conclusion would drive many others into. She still derived pleasure from the drinking and casual sex she partook in, and she did feel contentment from the work she did in shaping young adults into better soldiers, although her involvement in that as well had gradually diminished over the more recent months.

So there she was, a lesbian skunk who had deemed herself to be so awful and unlovable that her life would never achieve a greater meaning than it currently had at the age of 26.

And then she set out for Lightkeep to investigate the recent sergal invasion.

———

The memories that flooded into Ruby’s minds almost overwhelmed her. Slowly, however, she started to see the memories play out for her as if she were remembering them herself.   


Vivian was born in a small, cramped basement hidden under one of the slave huts in the great city of Baltor Koten, or as the sergals called it, the city of the masters. Vivian never got to meet her mother, as the stress of labor as well as lack of medicine given to slaves proved to be fatal for the woman. Her existence was kept a dangerous secret, as the Masters knew how powerful sergal females were.

For two years Vivian was kept on the move from one dark room to the next. As soon as she was able to begin learning, she started being taught an intense regimen of studies. She learned to speak both her native tongue as well as draconian. She learned how to write as well, but her favorite lessons were of history. The sergal history was as rich as it was extensive. As all tales of her people were oral in nature, she loved getting to watch the expressions and passion as her teachers retold stories of great battles and events. Slowly she learned what had happened to her people and why the dragons feared and now ruled over them.

At five, Vivian had already grown to almost 5’ and had started to use magic. She was able to influence the minds of her fellow sergals. She was able to coordinate with several of her warriors at once all using her mind. She would practice this with three sergals at a time. They would stand ready and all at once would move as Vivian coordinated their separate movements into one unified motion.

By seven, she was able to affect sleeping enemy soldiers. She would possess them and make them wander away from storage buildings so that they could be raided. It was on one of these raids that Vivian met one of her sisters, a black-furred sergal who was several years older than her. She had been covertly sabotaging the masters almost entirely on her own for years now.

That woman was Eno Black, a powerful sorceress who was infecting dragon troops with a horrific rot that killed slowly. Vivian became Eno’s pupil, and though she wasn’t fond of the type of magic her mentor used, she loved the results.

Ruby watched as Vivian progressed through years and years of underground sparring. She watched Vivian grow tall and impressively powerful. More and more sisters joined her over the years. Some were old enough to remember what it was like before their race was enslaved, others had been born during their imprisonment. Just after she turned 21, Vivian gathered together all her sisters and all the male warriors fit enough for battle and launched what became known as the Night of the Black Moon. Vivian used her magic to make herself bigger, faster, and stronger than anything the dragons could ever hope to counter. She found herself enjoying how it felt to tear her enemies apart with her bare hands.

The fighting seemed to go on forever until, when the last of the masters were hiding behind the last of their defenses, the Den Mothers Black performed a ritual. The moon in the sky seemed to go out. A black glow pulsed through the sky that made even Vivian’s fur stand on end. Vivian would never say this out loud, but in that moment, as she heard the horrific screams of the last of the dragons and saw their beautiful palace turn to dust, she felt afraid of such a power.

With the masters gone, the sergals spent many years recovering. Vivian, who had known nothing but struggle and resistance all her life, got to enjoy peace. She even dabbled in a bit of dating here and there—one male sergal, then a leopard female she had met when the sergals claimed her tribe. Vivian proved herself to be a wonderful leader. She set up the improved Den system and since made them their own laws influenced heavily by those of their former masters, as she had little else to base them on.

Many years passed with small fights with clans occasionally breaking out, which always ended in the sergals’ favor. Vivian couldn’t help but notice that her once teacher and friend Eno Black had become cruel and uncaring about any non-sergal life. She would frequently declare that sergals were the greatest race to ever live or will live. Vivian did her best to try to reason with her, but after many instances of House Black violating the sergal code and mounting evidence that House Black was keeping slaves, not servants, they were banished from the community.

That is until a year ago. Vivian, now a little older than 40, received word that the local tribes were being attacked by sergals with the banner of House Black. Before the other three houses could retaliate, House Black struck first in a deadly assault that killed hundreds of Vivian’s people. Left with no other choice, they fled and wound up taking Lightkeep, a city they had only recently learned existed.

The memories all settled into Ruby’s mind. She even learned just how exciting Vivian found her the moment she saw her. She learned that healing Victoria was both a kindness and a way to spy on the skunk. Ruby felt Vivian’s mild jealousy of Sam, whom she had kept a close watch over as well during his stay in Lightkeep. The memories even extended all the way to the present, when her thoughts were consumed by the unbelievable surprise that she had just bonded with this feisty skunk.

———

Ruby immediately recoiled after the massive trading of information. Though it had hardly taken a second for the ritual to complete, it felt almost as if she’d just lived Vivian’s entire life. “What the hell?!” the skunk shouted, panting. “Is this what that bonding thing is?!”   


Vivian was having a similar reaction to Ruby, though she knew beforehand what she was getting herself into. “You bit me… You poor girl, you had no idea what you were getting into… You just learned everything about my life—about what it means to be sergal! How do you feel, love?!”

“I… It’s a lot to take in!” Ruby admitted. “I didn’t know… I didn’t know your upbringing was like  _ that _ ! You sergals have been through so much… A-and House Black? How could they?! After all you went through, after how many chances you gave them!” It was clear Ruby couldn’t ask questions as fast as they were coming to her.

“Shh, shh, my love… you’ll understand it all soon. I hear you will dream about all the memories.” Vivian held and started to her, but then shifted her grip to hold her in a way that she knew Ruby preferred. With the bond, she didn’t even have to ask to get that information.

Ruby practically purred as Vivian lightly gripped the back of her neck. “Ha-have you bonded with anybody before?” she asked. “Because this is… a lot.”

She grinned and raised an eyebrow. “You tell me, love…”

Ruby thought about the question she’d just asked. She’d presumed that since she’d never outright asked Vivian before, she didn’t yet have the answer. Ruby had to remind herself that she had Vivian’s memories as well, and they were now searchable as if they were her own. “No…” the skunk said. “You never have before.”

“There we go, you’re getting it! No, I’ve never bonded before, hon.” She gently rubbed her back and face before kissing her sweetly. “Do you know why you did that, or was that spur-of-the-moment?”

“I-I heard it would bond us, but… nobody ever told me it would exchange our memories!”

“You have sprayed  _ so _ many people,” Vivian smirked and sniffed her, the scent of her spray still lingering.

“And now you’re on that list too,” Ruby smirked in response. “But can you blame me? I mean, you saw how I was living as a kid, unless… Did you happen to see any memories from when I was blackout drunk?”

“Oh, hon, I saw everything. You were pudgy and cute, stealing from that old dragon of yours…” She giggled and booped her nose.

“I—!” She was about to argue that she was not, but then she remembered that Vivian could see everything she saw. “Ok, yeah, I was pretty big.” She wrinkled her nose at the sergal in playful anger.

“Don’t worry, you were cute… You also saw all of my life. Is there anything you want to ask me?” Vivian pulled Ruby to her chest so she could be on top of her.

“Well, nothing in particular that I don’t already know,” Ruby said, giggling as she fell on top of Vivian. “Are you really in your forties?” she asked. “It doesn’t show.”

“It’s a perk of the magic. I don’t really know how old I’ll get, but I’ll be looking this fine till I die.” She licked her cheek and then hugged Ruby tightly.

Ruby hugged back just as tight, pressing their chests together. She felt a renewed sense of excitement about her relationship with Vivian. It was like she’d just bypassed all the years of friendship needed for them to open up with each other and instead dove straight into the deepest intimacy two people could share. It was literally magical.


	21. Ah, Love

While Ruby and Victoria had been alone with Vivian, Sam had been alone with Sara in her room. Sam felt a bit of nervous excitement sitting there and watching the sergal flip through books until she found what she needed for this new spell she had learned.

Unlike Ruby, Sara was stern but in a loving way. She was kind, bubbly, and at all times just a bit flirty—especially with Sam. She would always hang on him and touch him just enough for it to technically be innocent, when they both knew there was more to it than that.

“Here it is!” the girl finally exclaimed before running over to the fox, grabbing his hand, and pulling him out the room. “C’mon! We have to go down to the patio so I can show you this!”

“You love to pull me around, don’t you Sara?” Sam said although he didn’t mind. He just made sure to hold her hand tight as the two ran downstairs to the patio.

“Well, maybe if you weren’t such a slowpoke I wouldn’t have to!” the sergal teased, pausing halfway down the stairs when they were at equal height to kiss him on the cheek just to be sure he didn’t think she was genuinely mad at him. She then continued down the steps and out the backdoor of the manor.

Sam blushed at the kiss but didn’t have time to think about kissing her back as he was pulled the rest of the way outside. Sam could’ve sworn he caught a glimpse of Victoria and the commander sitting in the living room but he didn’t have enough time to get a good look. “Ok, ok, what new thing did you learn that has you so excited?”

Sara looked over the backyard of the repossessed manor. The lawn which was once immaculately trimmed by servants now was overgrown, as sergals had no reason to expend energy making sure grass looked pretty. A small variety of animals now roamed it for use by the servants of House Red in cooking: chickens, cows, even a couple goats. Finally, Sara found a good candidate.

“There!” she pointed to one of the flightless birds not far from the stone patio. “See that chicken?”

Sam did indeed see the chicken. “Mhm!” Sam was excited. He was hoping Sara would make it grow or possibly float. Now that would be quite the sight, he thought.

“Ok, watch it closely…” She looked down at the book she’d brought down with her and began focusing on it, holding the tome in one hand and extending her other out toward the chicken.

The chicken, for its part, did not seem to notice. It was perhaps a little unnerved that the two people were this close to it, but it continued to peck at seeds and bugs in the grass, occasionally stopping just to stare at random things.

Sam stood close to Sara and watched closely. He tried looking over her shoulder to learn the spell for himself as the anticipation built up inside him.

“Bok—?” the chicken clucked before spontaneously exploding, sending blood and entrails sailing in all directions. Even though they were at least ten feet from the bird, Sam and Sara were not spared from blood and entrails spattering against their fur and clothes. As they looked back at where the chicken had just been standing, all that remained was a bloody spot in the grass and a few bones.

The other animals, needless to say, were spooked. The cows began mooing and chickens started screeching following the explosion, doing everything they could to get as far as they could from the carnage without leaving the fenced-in yard. The couple goats, oddly enough, simply continued eating, despite initially jumping at the loud, wet sound.

“It worked!” Sara exclaimed, fist raised triumphantly in the air. She looked over to Sam. Half her face was red with blood from the splattered fowl. “Wasn’t that amazing?!”

“I-it was certainly… something!” Sam was not very fond of his fur being covered in the guts of a chicken, especially when he was hungry and really could go for some chicken right now. “That’s a rather powerful offensive spell Sara. That’s dangerous magic.”

“I know, isn’t it awesome?!” she said. “I really wanna see if it’ll work on bigger animals next. Maybe even a cow or horse!” She hadn’t realized it but she was quite out of breath. It seemed using such a powerful spell had taken a lot out of her, but her enthusiasm was too great now to let that show.

Sam stepped closer and carefully closed the book, set it down on a nearby table that was clear of blood, then took both her hands in his. “I’ll admit that I’m very impressed, and you are indeed awesome! But we really shouldn’t be killing these animals… Chickens, sure, they’re not a big loss. But you shouldn’t blow up cows and horses! They are important!”

Rarely in her life did anyone ever tell Sara no. Just about the only people who could were her elder Den Mothers, and they were the very ones whose magic abilities she was currently trying to match. She wasn’t terribly against Sam doing so, but she felt like other Mothers wouldn’t accept such backtalk.

She played along. “Ok, Sam, you’re right. Horses and cows are really expensive anyway. Let’s go back inside.” She walked back and stood waiting for him in the doorway.

Sam smiled at that, happy that she was being reasonable and happy about this. He turned and walked to her. “Thank you! Say, do you want to get something to eat?”

She wasn’t looking at Sam as he asked her the question. She was again looking out over the yard.

_ BOOM! _ In the distance, one of the Holstein cows suddenly detonated, again spooking the animals. Due to the bovine’s size, its explosion was magnitudes more impressive than the humble chicken’s. All the animals—even the goats now—were panicking, seemingly terrified that they could be next.

Just as Sam turned to witness the brilliant explosion, he felt himself get forced up against the doorway, his back pressing against the oak. His hands were locked at his side and he was unable to move at all.

Sara stood in front of him, a stern, angry look on her face. “Listen here, Samuel Geraldson,” she said harshly.

Sam held his tongue and stared at Sara. His expression was oddly hard for her to read. Sam had learned that sergals’ emotions were hard-hitting and fast—almost bipolar at times. But Sam knew he wasn’t in danger… yet.

“I am a  _ Den Mother _ ,” she informed him. “The only people who can tell me what to do are the other Mothers. I am not courting you just so that you may add yourself to the list of people who are in charge of me, got it?” Sara wiped her nose.

“Your nose is bleeding, Den Mother. Did you notice that?” Sam said, his arms still frozen and forced into this position, but he could feel the magic getting weaker. “Do you also notice that the animals are all trying to escape now? A horse just jumped the fence now.” Sure enough, the animals were in a frenzy and doing everything they could to escape. Horses seemed to be most easily affected by loud sounds, as the explosion had spooked them particularly badly.

Sara looked over her shoulder at the animals in chaos before, suddenly, she collapsed to the floor and Sam landed on his feet. He hadn’t even noticed that he was hovering off the ground slightly.

Sara lay in the fetal position, panting and shaking. It was as if she hadn’t eaten in days. “Sam,” she choked out. “Water, please.” He’d never heard her use the word ‘please’ before.

Quickly Sam ran to a nearby pitcher of water, poured a glass, and sat down with her to lean her up against his chest. Pushing the glass to her lips, he let her drink slowly. “Take your time… It’s ok.”

She was gasping for air, but greedily sucked down the glass of water. All the while, she was hating herself for letting this happen. Sara had been trying to intimidate Sam by appearing strong, but all she felt she had succeeded in doing was convincing him that she was an amateur and needed his help.

Shakily, she forced herself to stand up, tired of relying on his body to keep her upright. She stumbled at first and fell to her knees, then proceeded to crawl over to the pantry, where she withdrew an apple and bit into it. She didn’t look over at Sam as she ate.

He didn’t ask if she was ok. He could tell her pride was hurt. So he went to the animals instead. He sang softly, using a miracle opposed to magic to calm them down. The escaped horse was long gone, but he figured someone would end up returning it in a bit.

The moment she finished her apple Sara had grabbed another fruit and began eating that. She could feel herself already feeling a bit stronger; Her shaking was dissipating. Still, it was likely she wouldn’t feel quite herself for some time, and she would almost definitely be sore all over the following day.

Slowly Sarah made her way back to the same doorway she’d held Sam in place in and watched him calm down the animals as she ate. She looked at a chicken and considered testing just how much of her strength she’d already regained, but she started to feel light-headed as she just thought of exploding it.

Eventually Sam made his way back over to the house, walking past Sara and sitting in the kitchen as she sat in the doorway. He was still giving her some space. “You have enough power to obliterate something that weighs as much as a sergal. You should be proud of yourself. And my intentions weren’t to boss you around, but to tell you why you shouldn’t give in and kill important animals… you also technically lied to me. You know how big of a crime that is here.” Sam was looking at the carcasses as he talked.

“I didn’t lie,” she defended herself. “I said you're right that cows and horses are important. I didn’t say I wouldn’t blow them up anyway.” She smirked. “Look, just forget what happened here today, ok? It was really embarrassing for me, so I’d really like it if we just didn’t bring it up anymore.”

Sam paused and thought about what happened. He approached her as she remained sitting in the doorway. He started to laugh softly. “You… are a brat.”

Sara was about to explode on him in a way that would’ve made the cow look trivial, but before she got the chance her lips were locked to his in their first real kiss apart from her playful pecks. Her fury quickly faded away as she kissed him back, her hands grabbing on to his.

He held the kiss, loving the feel and taste of her. Sam finally pulled back with a smile. “I really like you, Sara… You know I’m still learning about your people, so give me a chance to learn about you, ok? I don’t mean to overstep, and if I do, maybe talk to me about it before you pin me to the wall like that… Not that I minded, ’cause it was kinda hot.” He grinned, holding her hand tight. Sam was nervous about confessing his feelings to a person for the second time tonight. He just hoped he wasn’t going to get hit.

She playfully slapped his shoulder in response to being told Sam actually enjoyed getting forced against the wall. That wasn’t her intention.

“I’ll try, Sam,” Sara said. “As I’m sure you’ve been able to tell, it’s not exactly in my nature to be calm and patient with somebody. I’m usually all loving or all angry, like a lot of sergals. But I’ll try, Sam. For you.”

“That’s all I needed to hear.” He smiled happily, leaning down to kiss her hand before with a slight sigh before he admitted something. “And though I might not approve… that was amazing! Did you see how you obliterated that cow?! If that were an attacking sergal, they wouldn’t’ve stood a chance against you!”

She smiled wide. “Watch out, House Black,” she giggled. “It’s just too bad that I can’t do it more than once without almost killing myself.” She did not mean that literally. She wasn’t close to death after exploding the cow, but her exhaustion definitely made her feel almost like she was.

“How about we go have some dinner and then we take a bath. Not, um, together! But, well, we are covered in blood, so we should take one soon. Heh, it sure is a hot night out, isn’t it?!” Sam nervously chuckled and stood, now pulling her along to go back inside.

Sara stared at him as he sputtered, then leaned forward and licked a splatter of chicken blood off his neck. “Why don’t we take a bath first, then we can head out into the town to get a nice meal? The sun will be up soon. Though I’m sure no one would stop me, I don’t want to go out into public covered with blood.”

“Yes ma’am.” Sam just smiled happily and let her lead them back upstairs. The manor they were in was nice enough that it had its very own bath. Sara led him to it and called over a servant to start filling the heater under it with coal. After a few minutes, the bath was warm and ready.

“Sorry that there’s only one bath in the house,” Sara said as she started to undress. “I’m not all that keen on taking turns, though. Would you mind if we bathed together?” She stood in her bra, a skirt still covering her lower half.

Sam just shook his head no as he looked at her before turning away quickly. “No… No, I wouldn’t mind at all, as long as you’re ok with it.” Sam stood and stripped out of his clothes, neatly setting them down to the side. Finally he stood completely nude before her. “Shall I get in first?”

She ignored his question. “Sam,” Sara said, “I know you like girls. But do you like boys at all, too? You know, in the same way as you like girls?”

“I mean, I’ve never been with another guy, but I’m not against it.” He turned to look at her, his head tilted slightly. “Why do you ask?”

She bent over, yanked down her skirt and undergarments all at once, then stood there, facing Sam with her penis and vagina out. She realized her phallus was hiding her feminine genitalia, so she lifted it out of the way to show him her pussy. There were no testicles to speak of.

She’d never had to present herself to a man like this before, so she decided to just do it as bluntly as possible. If he rejected her for it, that would be his loss. “All female sergals are like this,” she said, answering the question she presumed was on his mind. “Does this change anything between you and me?”

It took Sam’s brain a few seconds to process the information. Then he let a playful grin spread over his face and offered a hand to her. “Not one thing… Not at all, Sara.”

She gave him a small smile. “Good.” Kicking her bottoms off her ankles, she took his hand and climbed into the bath with Sam. It only took a couple seconds for the water to get dyed a light red from the blood that’d seeped into their fur.

———

By this point in the night, Victoria and Brynjolf had gotten past the getting to know one another phase and left the manor. As the commander said when he suggested they leave, “Best to leave before the house started shaking.”

Brynjolf took Victoria to the only all-night restaurant in town and, as he was free to pick where to sit, chose to sit down close to the fire. The flames danced over his red fur, making him look as if he himself were on fire. He looked very similar to Lucian in many ways, especially his face. Bry, however, was a few inches shorter than him, though he had a much broader body. In addition to the red markings in his fur, he also had a very intricate tattoo. It looked very tribal in nature and ran over his entire body and up his neck, though most of it being covered by his clothes.

“So!” Victoria said emphatically as they sat down. She knew there was little for the two of them to talk about apart from Lucian, so she tried to stall by talking about other things until he was inevitably brought up. “‘Brynjolf’, huh? That’s not a very common name.”

He nodded with a chuckle. “You’re telling me! My mother was from a clan very far away. Father met her while he was still a slave under the masters. Mother named me after a warrior from her homeland. Father got to name Lucian. I was always proud that I was named after her heritage…” He leaned forward, getting comfortable. When the waiter came he only ordered tea, no alcohol.

“Ah, I see,” the snow leopard said after ordering her own tea. She’d never had a conversation with Lucian before about where he came from, so she was interested in learning more. “Does the name ‘Lucian’ have any significance like that?”

“Father picked it because it was a strong name. When he was born, Lucian was a massive kid. We did also have a grandfather named Lucian… Yeah, that’s right. It was grandpa Lucian who was the grandfather to us as well as Vivian, if I’m remembering correctly.” He smiled. “Ya know… I’m surprised you and my brother didn’t talk about this. Too distracted with more personal affairs, yes?” Brynjolf smirked a little, but it was clear he was being playful.

“N-no!” Victoria insisted. “We’ve just been busy talking about other things. He has to learn just as much about my culture as I have to learn about his, you know.” The waiter brought their drinks and set them down between the two.

“Such a defensive woman,” he laughed, “but with a strong spirit. Order whatever food you wish. You’ll need your strength.” Brynjolf looked up at the waiter. “The usual for me, please.” He sipped his tea, still smiling slightly at Victoria’s reaction.

“Um…” she looked through the menu she’d been neglecting in favor of conversation and picked out the first item that sounded appealing to her. “The smoked cod, please,” she said, handing off her menu. They were in Lightkeep, after all. May as well sample the fish.

After they were alone again he was calmly looking into the fire. “I’m not the best at small talk… I like to say what’s on my mind and hope you will do the same. I wanted to ask how you felt about the baby. Vivian is a very talkative Den Mother and as her personal guard I hear… everything.”

Victoria exhaled hard and hung her head. “I was hoping you wouldn’t have heard about that…” she sighed. Not only was the pregnancy an important, life-altering matter, but Brynjolf now knew for certain that she’d had sex with his brother after knowing him for only a matter of days. “I’m nervous, but Lucian seems excited.”

“’Course he’s excited! I know I’d be pretty damn excited if I were him! And it’s understandable to be nervous. Just to be clear, you are not being judged by me.” He took a long sip and chuckled. “Don’t worry about what you say to me. It’s just between us, yeah?”

“Fine, fine, I’ll try not to worry.” She smiled and sipped her tea before leaning just a little closer to Bry. “So, um, could you tell me more about this ‘bonding’ business? Does it really allow two mates to mentally communicate with each other?”

“Heh, yeah, it can. Can’t speak from experience however. I have a rather… unique role as far as relationships are concerned. But when you bond, both of your lives become one. Two people that really accept this can indeed let their partner know how they’re feeling, or even talk, from great distances away.” He didn’t seem to mind the closeness and let her get comfortable being close to him.

“Oh, wow,” Victoria said, “so it really is almost like they become the same entity. Sergals are so interesting…” She thought for some time before saying, “Ok, I have another question.”

“Mhm,” he said, happy that she was opening up. He kept his eyes focused on Victoria’s.

“When I’ve heard about this bonding, I feel like I always hear people say that the bond usually lasts until death, but that ‘usually’ is always there. What happens in the cases where it’s not lifelong?”

“Ah… Well, it’s very rare, but there are cases where, even after a bond, fate still seems to have different plans for people. It’s always mutual, both parties bite each other once more and force the bond to end… It’s like losing a part of yourself, I hear. Usually both people end up bonding again with someone else, needing to feel that connection to someone again.”

Victoria nodded. “Is that… all it takes to break a bond?” she asked. “Just biting each other again? Couldn’t that happen by accident?”

“It’s difficult to describe how it works, but no. For bonding and the rare unbonding, both individuals have to mean it for that reason. We could bite each other right now and nothing would happen… Well, no bonding at least.” He gave a bit of a cocky grin.

She had to stop herself from laughing too loud. “Oh, cut it out, Bry,” she chuckled. “You know I’m faithful to your brother. I’m sure he and I will even officially bond sometime soon. I’ll at least wanna do it before the baby comes.”

“I am pleased to hear that about my brother. I was hopeful that he’d find someone. I’ve been looking after him for a long time now. He’s always been shy—shy by sergal standards, at least. I told him that he should wait and really make sure he has a special girl before he falls in love… Seems to me like he did just that.” He clinked his glass to Victoria’s as their food, cooked to perfection, was delivered.

Victoria blushed at the compliment but still clinked her glass to Brynjolf’s before food was set down before them. It was clear to her that among the sergals were definitely some talented seafood chefs. As she picked up her knife and fork, she started to wonder how this would be paid for. With a slice of fish on the tip of her silverware, she said, “I’ve been meaning to ask, what is the currency of the sergals?”

“Oh, we use these.” He reached into a pouch on his hip and pulled out a small silver coin. “From what I hear, our currency should be easy to convert to yours, so there haven’t been any issues. Plus, we can always bargain!”

“Ah, I see,” she said. “So you’re not all that unlike us. Well, that’ll make integration into our kingdom all the more easy, should the sergals accept it after the war.”

“We plan to. No reason not to, really. We like it here, and after the war we will need to replenish our ranks a great deal, and of course we can’t do that without outside females.” He savored his bite, showing off his sharp, white teeth.

“Well, I feel like I don’t need to warn you,” Victoria said, “about the tension you’ll likely feel with the native citizens of Kas Ragnoc. Even if our king does forgive you for it, I doubt the people will feel too positive about the sergals’ seizure of Lightkeep.”

“That will change soon enough when you see what we are saving you from,” he said confidently and kept eating. “There was a debate before we took over Lightkeep. The six Den Mothers voted on whether to let House Black invade and fight your kingdom while we moved on and slowly built up our army by ourselves, or to take Lightkeep and in the process send a message of the severity of the situation you are in. This option, of course, would give us less time to prepare before the war began. Vivian broke the tied vote and chose to come here.”

“…Huh,” Victoria said. “I didn’t know that the Mothers had been considering letting Kas Ragnoc get ravaged. But how come there were no messengers sent to the capital to warn us of the threat House Black posed? For almost an entire week after you landed at Lightkeep’s shores, the capital believed you were simply a hostile force invading our kingdom.”

“We didn’t have a map of your kingdom at that time. We thought it best and safest for you to send an emissary to us so we could explain the situation. We were also still somewhat divided on priorities. Some were too focused on mates. It wasn’t our best time, you see.”

She nodded, “I understand. That all makes sense. I’m glad it was Ruby who was tasked with meeting the sergals. Before we set out, all the admirals and even her advisor were suggesting to her that she prepare for a violent encounter with this strange new species. Though, yes, we got into a skirmish with the first two sergals we encountered, other leaders likely would’ve been much more militaristic.”

“I’m surprised to hear you say that. I figured that, with everything that happened to you, you would’ve been the most upset. Loss of your claws and being bitten by Saber…”

“Well, I  _ would _ like to have a private ‘chat’ with our friend Saber one day…” She grinned at the sergal. “But I forgave Lucian for what he did. He seemed genuinely remorseful for it. I still think that was too harsh of a punishment, but he was just following orders.”

You got very lucky if you ask me. No offense. I do like you and that fire in you, but you threatened the general’s woman. You made him feel her pain and panic… He should’ve taken your entire hand, but you ended up whole in the end. You are very, very lucky.” His tone was calm, but Victoria could tell he was trying to be nice about it.

Victoria tried to repress just how much she disagreed. “In my kingdom, the punishment for breaking the law is imprisonment. It is not permanently disfiguring somebody!”

“We don’t believe in prisons. You pay for your crime, then you get back to helping and providing for your people. It is efficient. Before you get more angry or defensive, understand that we know perfectly well that we are harsh. But at the same time, crime in our society is nearly nonexistent. Nonetheless the Scribe Den Mother and your leaders are working on a joint set of rules for both our peoples. We will find a balance.”

Victoria settled down. “Right, fine… I’m sorry for getting so upset. I guess I’m just still hurting from being declawed.” She leaned back in her seat.

He patted her shoulder. “You’re supposed to… From that moment on, every time you use your claws you’ll think before you do it, right? Even with your fingers back. You could also go see Fiona right now and there would be no ill will. What is done is done, and now we move on and live our best life.” He smiled and pulled his hand away so as to not overstep boundaries.

“Where I come from, we do not consider it ‘justice’ to traumatize someone as punishment for a crime… But I can recognize that we’ll never see eye to eye here, so let’s just drop it.” She took a couple more bites of her fish.

He leaned forward with a sigh. “But we should try.”

He left a few coins on the table and stood, gesturing for Victoria to follow now that dinner was over. He took her down to the docks onto one of the few, long piers that stretched over the water.

“Out here… I feel free,” Brynjolf said. “To be over water and not trapped inside city walls. We prefer it like this… A great deal of debating has occurred since you received your punishment. If it had been done to a sergal, there wouldn’t have been a problem. We have made it clear to your king and leaders that sergal laws will only affect those who agree to live under sergal law. Does that help you with what’s happened?” He said only looking at you from the corner of his eye.

“They better…” Victoria groaned, still only just repressing her anger. “I don’t want any more of my people losing their fingertips for crimes that should only earn them imprisonment. But if somebody consents to living under your wicked laws, I guess they’re free to do so.”

“Why do I still hear anger in your voice? I informed you of what should be positive information, yet you’re still sharp in your tone.” He sighed, sitting down and letting a foot dip in the water.

With a sigh, she joined him in sitting on the dock, though she rested one heel on the edge of the wood and let the other foot dip into the water. “I just… I don’t like to see such brutality. Yes, I am a soldier, but I chose to be one so that those at home don’t have to experience violence. There should be as little brutality at home as possible, and the price for committing a violent crime should not just be more violence. In a just system, violence shouldn’t beget more violence! At least, that’s how I feel about it…” She looked down at the water, the sunrise’s reflection already glittering off the waves. “I don’t expect to change your mind, but if you must know, that’s why I’m feeling frustrated.”

He nodded slightly. “You have to also understand that we have almost no crime here. Our sergal men are mostly warriors and most are bonded as well. The bond makes things easier for us as a society, I believe. What happened to you hasn’t happened to a sergal for quite some time now. In a way, I suppose you must see us as a lesser of two evils. Deep down all we want is to be a strong, powerful people again, but that’s difficult for us when we have to keep moving and finding females from other groups just to survive. The laws we have are harsh because it’s hard for us to simply exist.” He watched the ripples in the water below, his eyes focused on the gentle waves. “I’m not telling you it’s right… I’m just… I’m just trying to help you understand.”

“I do understand,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean I like it. I didn’t approve of your hostile invasion of Lightkeep either, but I can understand where you were coming from.” She was quiet for a long while, then said in a soft voice, “Brynjolf, can I ask you something?”

He had been looking up at the moon before he turned to look over at her, giving Victoria all his attention.

“I like Lucian. I do. But he and I are so different, and we come from such different worlds. Even if ordered, I never would declaw somebody. But he did it with such little hesitation. We have such different moral backgrounds—just as you and I do. Though we can understand one another, I doubt we’ll ever be able to see completely eye to eye, as any two partners would need to in a healthy relationship. I need your honest opinion… If he and I were to bite each other, that would link our minds and magically reconcile all our moral incompatibilities. If Lucian and I were to never bite one another… do you honestly think he and I could last?"

He took a deep breath and paused. “I think my brother could make you happy. I think he would go out of his way to try and fit the mold of what you want. Given enough time, he probably could change… but no. And when the child is born, I don’t know how things will change as he ages. But if you bond, I think you’d be happier. I think you’ll see why we do what we do, and likewise he will understand you as well. As his older brother, though, all I ask is you don’t break his heart… He’s not young like you. It won’t be as easy for him to recover.” Brynjolf sighed and looked down at the water again.

“As much as I want to bond with him so we can be together for the rest of our lives… that would be like giving up a part of myself.” Victoria wiped her nose. She'd been crying ever since Bry said the word ‘no’. “I know you say I’ll be happier if I just go ahead and bond, but is that really the same thing as being in love? Would it be me, Victoria, in a relationship with Lucian? Or would it be this new, bonded Victoria?” She knew the answer did not have any easy answer, so she truly had no interest in hearing Brynjolf’s response. Victoria knew that the ultimate answer, and the decision to bond or not, had to come from her.

The snow leopard stood up. “Thank you for having this conversation with me, Brynjolf,” she said, “but I’d like to head back to the manor now.” Victoria began walking off. She knew how to get back to the house, so it was of little importance to her whether he joined her walk or not.

Bry stood up and followed her. He was quiet and as they walked and handed her a small handkerchief. “Hey… Victoria. I know this might sound bad, or maybe creepy, but I’ve spent that last few days basically hearing everything about you from Vivian… Don’t look to me for an answer. I do think that, out of every sergal you could’ve ended up with Lucian, is the best. You were still asleep, but I actually visited Lucian the morning after you had been declawed. He was so worried about you even then.” He held the door open for Victoria as they reached the house.

With a sigh, Victoria stepped inside before heading to go sleep in one of the manor’s many guest bedrooms.

———

Sara and Sam had been out of the tub for some time now and their fur was mostly dry. “Well,” the Mother said to the fox, “what will it be now? Do you and I retire now only to get back up in a few hours, or do we… instead spend that time having a little fun?”

Sam weighed both ideas carefully before making a sort of compromise. “I’d love to stay the night, but nothing needs to happen. I don’t mind a bit of waiting if you feel the same.”

“You know, Sam,” Sara said, walking closer, “you will be my first. I’ll have you know I've been waiting almost 20 years for this…” Now just inches away, she leaned in close to the side of his face, waiting a few seconds so suspense may build up before she just kissed his cheek. “But I can wait a little while longer. Just know that the only boy I’d ever let turn me down like that without destroying him is you.” The girl turned away and climbed up onto her huge, king-sized bed.

“You are both so frightening and so perfect all at once!” Sam quickly ran to her, spinning her to look at him and kissing her hard. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her right as he got to the edge of the bed so that the two would land softly on it.

She chuckled some as Sam did all this. She didn’t enjoy being handled in such a way, but she allowed the boy to do so just this once. “Alright, alright, let go of me…” Sara said, her patience gradually wearing thin. “Let’s just get some sleep.”

“And here I was hoping you’d pin me down for doing such a thing… But ok, ok. Bed it is, love.” He immediately let Sara go and snuggled up to her. Sam was clearly one for affection and cuddling.

“Oh, you’d  _ prefer _ if I were less tolerant of your antics?” In a blur, the sergal woman climbed on top of him and held his arms by the wrist down against the bed as she straddled his waist. “How’s this, hmm?”

The excitement that Sam felt was both immense and immediately noticeable to Sara. He stammered slightly before nodding to the Den Mother. “I, um… Yeah, I imagined something like this…”

She bent her elbows, her hands still keeping his in place, and lowered herself down closer to Sam’s head. Just as she looked to be going in for a kiss, she lifted her chin up and softly bit down onto one of his foxy ears.

Ears were a known sensitive spot for most canine species, but for the fox the nibble was indescribably blissful. He let out a slow, needy moan, but didn’t struggle at all in Sara’s grip. She knew she had him now.

“Alrighty,” Sara said after getting Sam sufficiently worked up. She got off of him and lay down on her side next to the fox, her back turned to him. “That’s enough playing around. I’ll respect your wishes and let you sleep now…” She shut her eyes, content and fully aware what she was doing to him.

Sam couldn’t hold in a soft whine at her cruel act. He knew she did it on purpose and silently cursed himself for saying no earlier.

After a long minute, Sara felt Sam’s arms against her. One was slipping under her head and the other rested on her bare belly. “Is this ok? It helps me sleep…”

“Mhm,” Sara hummed softly. “Hey, Sam? Have you ever slept with a woman before?”

“Yeah I have… Just two, but it’s been a while,” he said, holding her tightly.

“What were they like?” she asked out of curiosity. “Were you dating them?”

“The first, yes. She was from here, actually. We grew up together and dated before I moved away to the capital. It was a sort of goodbye present, you could say. It was awkward at first, since we both were new at it. But it was a very long and beautiful night. The other was someone from my first barracks in the military, while we were both still in training. We both were trying to be the best and, well, that sort of tension built and built until we found a way to… agree to disagree, if you will.” Softly Sam rubbed her side.

Sam could see her cheeks crease a bit as her lips formed a smile. “That sounds nice,” Sara said. “Were those two girls anything like me? Personality-wise, I mean.”

“Hmm… Definitely not the first girl. She was more… shy and sweet. The military girl, though… She was rough and in charge, especially when others were around. When we were alone she was still in charge, but not in a mean way. So I guess you’re more like her, but I still wouldn’t compare you to them.” He noticed the smile and wagged his tail. “You like hearing about my past?”

She shrugged. “I guess I’m a little curious. I mean, it’s not unreasonable to ask your boyfriend whom he’s been with before, is it?” She referred to him as her boyfriend despite the fact that neither of the two never had ever used that sort of nomenclature yet.

His tail thumped the bed harder. “No… It is definitely not unreasonable… Wow, I have a very powerful girlfriend…” That realization hit him hard but he still smiled happily.

“Yes, but your magical abilities are nothing to be scoffed at either. While you might not yet be able to unleash anything too powerful, I know that you at least have an uncanny ability to learn spells exceptionally fast.”

Sam leaned up and pecked her cheek. “I hope to learn much more in the future. And next time you pin me down… don’t stop.” This was his way of giving her permission and his consent for bonding.

“Hmm… Maybe another night,” the sergal said. “Goodnight, Sam.”


	22. The Meeting

The following morning, Ruby woke to a pleasant sensation she hadn’t gotten to wake up to in a while. Her arms were wrapped around the soft, furry body of a woman she actually cared about. The skunk gave the other girl a light squeeze, groping one of her tits slightly in the process, then sat up.

She inhaled deeply as she stretched. Though Vivian’s scent was there, it was almost completely overshadowed by the rancid stench of Ruby’s musk. Though some unfortunate servant had been ordered to replace the bedsheets with clean ones the previous, the foul odor still lingered in their fur and seemingly the room itself.

Vivian seemed not to mind the smell at all as she woke up and stretched. She pulled Ruby closer and kissed her cheek. “The bath is yours, love. I know the scent is getting to you, so take your time and get clean. We are in no rush as the meeting still isn’t for another few hours.”

Ruby smiled at the kiss. Following a yawn, she asked, “You wouldn’t happen to have coffee here, would you?”

“I’ll bring you some black coffee while you bathe,” The Den Mother said, standing up and slipping on a robe that just barely did its job of hiding her figure.

She was about to ask how Vivian knew her coffee preference when she recalled the events of the previous night. They shared each other’s memories now. Ruby even knew how Vivian liked hers (a little bit of milk and sugar). Pondering just how weird this all was, the general got herself out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

“It is a bit weird, yes…” came Vivian’s voice from down the hall as Ruby stepped out of the bedroom. “But don’t worry. As invasive as this is, I’ll teach you how to keep some things private. No need for us to be constantly in each other’s minds, yes?”

Ruby was shaken at first to have one of her thoughts responded to out loud. For a little while at least she’d be trying not to think all that much. But still, her head wasn’t silent. She realized that she was also hearing Vivian’s inner thoughts. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the sergal’s thoughts of her were as sweet as they were lewd. It was all Ruby could do not to run to Vivian at that moment. This was how powerful sergals emotions were, she realized. It was becoming clear to her why they behaved so differently from any other species.

As excited as Ruby was starting to get as she listened to Vivian think all these things about her, she knew she desperately needed a bath. Though she could tolerate the stink clinging to her, she was pretty sure those who were going to join her at the meeting would not. Finding a small bowl of the herb water Vivian had used to clean her hand the previous night already set out for her, she stepped into the bath.

The bath was perfect once mixed with the herbs. Ruby had known of this plant vaguely but never been able to find, let alone afford, any for herself. After about ten minutes of soaking and cleaning, Vivian walked into the bathroom with a smile and a tray of coffee and small muffins. “Feeling better now, love?”

“Please don’t tell me you made these yourself,” Ruby said, sitting up in the tub and grabbing the steaming mug of coffee and a muffin.

“No, but I did tell the cook how I like them. I can cook, but I suppose I’ve gotten comfortable letting others do things for me… It is good to be Den Mother.” With a small giggle, she ate one, too. There was no awkwardness between the two of them. It felt like she was supposed to be there with Ruby, and Ruby felt the same with Vivian. “I don’t wish to pull out your answers without permission, so I suppose I’ll ask the old-fashioned way… Now that you’ve been bonded to me for a bit, how are you handling it?”

“It’s… nice,” Ruby said, a smile on her face. “I don’t suppose that being mated to a Den Mother will grant me any special privileges too, will it?”

“Of course it will! Why do you think you’re coming with me to the meeting? Your opinions on what we do in the future are very important to me.” She leaned down and softly kissed the skunk’s head. Ruby could tell Vivian meant what she said. Realizing as well that she was much more important than a general now as well.

The general smiled as she was kissed. “Remind me when this meeting is again? I just wanna know if I should hurry up this bath.”

“It’s soon, but it’s also going to be held here in this house, so we don’t have to rush.” The general nodded as she was informed that the meeting would be coming to them. She did always enjoy not having to walk somewhere if she could help it. Skunks weren’t known for their high energy.

Vivian stood and dropped her outfit before climbing into the tub and pulling Ruby onto her. Though the rubs felt nice, they weren’t sexual. They were simply tender and sweet. “You said it was soon, didn’t you?” Ruby chuckled, letting her body press against Vivian’s. “You sure we have time to fool around in the tub?”

“I need to get that divine scent of yours off me as well… and a little fooling won’t hurt anyone! The others will understand, I’m sure.”

With Ruby’s help, the Den Mother smelled clean much quicker, even with the occasional moment of play. A short while later, the two girls had stepped out of the bath and had towels wrapped around their chests.

“So,” Ruby said, “what’s on the table for us to discuss at this meeting?”

“Several things: relations with your kingdom, safety of our citizens and servants, as well as how best to use Reafport to our advantage.” She said, getting into her clothes and armor now that her fur had dried enough to get dressed.

“And have we received any new information on that city? Remind me, are they still under siege or are they actually occupied by now?” Ruby found her general’s uniform already cleaned and laid out for her.

“Under siege, as of our last report. Which is odd; House black has more than enough strength to decimate the small city. They must be planning something.” Vivian watched Ruby dress as she spoke. “We have a few scouts preparing to go and check again today. They will be traveling light and fast, so hopefully they can get there by late tonight.”

“They must be planning for that plague…” Ruby said. “Do you think House Black really has the magical resources to unleash a disease?”

“Love,  _ we _ could have the resources to unleash a plague if we so wished. In the uprising against the masters, we did just that, though to a lesser degree. We managed to infect several soldiers with a sickness that started out mild but made them slowly get more and more ill—nothing that would kill them, but still enough to greatly affect their strength and ability to perform patrols regularly.” Both women now dressed, Vivian led the way out of the room and down the hall. This manor was massive, as Ruby came to realize as they made their way to the third floor. The top floor opened up into one very large room with a beautiful skylight window that lit up the single massive table in the center. “This is where we have our meetings. The others should be here very soon.”

She nodded and took a seat. “So, decades ago, you could only unleash a mild illness using magic. I presume this was with all the female sergals pooling their magic together, yes? How devastating of a disease do you think the Mothers of House Black could unleash on their own?”

Vivian smiled as she took a seat herself at the table, sitting down right beside Ruby’s seat, of course. “Back then we were very young and our goal wasn’t to create a plague. I have no doubt that my sisters in House Black can create—or even already have created—a horrific plague… We will need a sample if we can hope to come up with a cure.”

Ruby sat in silence and thought. “When you all originally created the disease, how did you go about it? Did you test it on sergal ‘patient zeros’ first, or did you cast your spell right onto one of the dragons? If we can know how you did it the first time, perhaps we can predict how they will go about it this time.”

“Looking to the past to predict the future… Love, you are quite the wise one. But unfortunately I don’t have all the details. Even back then, Eno was a private one. She and her sisters gathered many ingredients and captured a lone dragon warrior. I didn’t wish to know what they did to that soldier… For all the hate I had for them, what they took from him was sadistic to say the least.” She sighed, thinking for a moment. “All I can say for sure is that through experiments and a variety of potions, herbs, and substances, they created a sort of brew that, when the dragons ingested it, made them sick. Furthermore, they could get other dragons sick from touch or exchange of fluids.”

“No sergal of ours in his right mind would ever knowingly ingest a potion made by House Black. That leaves the question: Will they sneak it into our food and drink, or will they infect one of their own first then send him to Lightkeep to intermingle with our people?”

“Guessing like that is a waste of the little time we have left, Ruby,” The stern voice of Felva said from the top of the stairs before she made her way to the table. “We need to  _ know _ , and the only way we will is by investigating this plague firsthand.” The tall woman kept a neutral expression on her face, which made her seem almost uninterested in everything that was happening. She wasn’t as tall as Vivian, but it was close. She was, however, much more muscular in her build. Her white fur clung tightly to her body, and it looked as if she could take on someone like Fang without breaking a sweat. “I suppose congratulations are in order… Ruby of House Red. As I’m sure Vivian was much to busy fucking you to fill you in, you are now a Den Mother in stature, and as such sergal men are yours to command, within reason. However, you are the lowest ranking among us and, should you not show us the respect we deserve, I’ll be happy to… correct your behavior. Understand?”

Ruby could feel Vivian getting hot with anger through the bond, but it was clear that their best option was to remain calm and civil. Vivian’s tail moved and wrapped around Ruby’s leg to show that she was on the general’s side. “Yes, ma’am, I understand,” the skunk said. It wasn’t typical of her to immediately obey or speak to someone so obediently, but given that Felva looked as if she could tear Ruby’s arms off with little effort, she had no intention of upsetting the Winter Mother.

Still, the skunk could feel herself growing contemptuous—not of Felva, but of Vivian. She knew that rushing into bonding with her would likely have consequences she was ignorant to. The sudden sharing of all their memories was evidence enough of that. But she was especially unaware of the fact that exchanging bites with Vivian would make her a Den Mother as well—a political and military leader almost on the same level as the magic sergal women.

The women in the room moved to take their seats at the table beneath the skylight. ‘You did not tell me about this…’ Ruby thought for Vivian to hear. ‘You didn’t tell me that bonding came with such responsibilities. What of my duties to Kas Ragnoc?!’

‘You bit me, too…’ Vivian said softly into Ruby’s mind to keep their conversation private. She was being very genuine. ‘I was planning on courting you, love. Look in my mind if you want proof.’ Reaching over she took Ruby’s hand and kept her head low as more Mothers filed in. ‘As for your responsibilities to your kingdom, I wasn’t planning on forcing you to abandon them. After the war we could even live together in Kas Ragnoc, if that would make you happy. Or you could leave your home and live with me… You know I would care for you.’ Vivian paused to let Ruby speak (or think, as it were) as Sara and the other Scribe sat down. Ruby caught Felva saying her name was Elisabeth.

‘We can talk about future living situations another time… If you were planning on courting me, how come you bit me the very first time we had sex? Did you truly think I wouldn’t return the favor?’

From the bond, Ruby could feel that Vivian didn’t have a good answer to that question. “I couldn’t help it. I wanted you so much that it hurt. It’s true I didn’t think you’d bite back, but I wanted to bite you and I did. I needed to taste you.’ She went quiet then with her hand still holding Ruby’s. The skunk could feel that Vivian was worried, which made her feel slightly worried as well because the bond shared emotions between the two women. Still, Ruby did not let that sense of anxiety overpower the frustration for the woman she was now bonded to.

The stream of thoughts from Ruby’s head fell silent. She was done listening to Vivian’s excuses, and she pulled her hand away to rest it in her own lap. Vivian closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Felva seemed to have been keeping an eye on the entire exchange between the two. She sighed slightly before letting the meeting begin.

All together, there were four Den Mothers present at the meeting, five if Ruby were to be counted. There was Felva, the head of Den Winter and, as far as Ruby could tell, the oldest of the Mothers. At her side was a much younger Den Mother, also of Den Winter. Through the bond Ruby knew that her name was Stephanie. She looked very toned and was currently the only Den Mother who was wearing a full set of plate armor as well as a sword attached to her hip. Her green eyes studied the room constantly as if ready for an attack. She looked similar in age to Sara, who sat beside Vivian, but her attitude was very matured and distant. Lastly was Elisabeth of House Scribe, who had dozens of papers and maps before her with records of everything related to war that one could imagine. Now that Ruby could get a longer look at the Scribe, she could tell that she was almost completely identical to her sister Nicole, whom the general had met back in Kas Ragnoc. Vivian confirmed for Ruby that they were in fact identical in looks, but personality-wise Elisabeth was the shy, soft-spoken one.

Vivian decided to start them off by explaining why there was a stripy non-sergal in the room. “For everyone who doesn’t already know, this is Ruby Reynolds, now of House Red and a general of Kas Ragnoc.”

After she was properly introduced, Ruby decided to try speaking first on the matter of the looming conflict. “Possibly the most pressing matter with respect to the war right now is the threat of House Black’s plague,” she said. “Mother Vivian tells me that a cure could be crafted if only we had a sample from an infected person. Is that all it should take to counteract this disease?”

From the end of the table, Elisabeth responded in her soft-spoken voice as she looked up from her papers. “Yes, in theory that would be required. I would need to study the effects of the plague as well as know its roots. Getting my hands on the raw form of the illness would be our best bet at figuring out a cure, or at least a treatment.”

Ruby nodded in understanding. “Perhaps… we could send out a small recon party to try to find out what the source of this plague will be. From what Vivian told me, it sounds like the disease released upon your former dragon masters was synthesised using herbs already known to cause illness, then making that illness spreadable. If we can just find what the source material for this new disease—the House Black Plague, if you will—maybe we can better defend ourselves against it.”

A few people nodded slightly and Felva responded. “All in favor of sending out scouts to investigate?” Everyone at the table nodded in agreement. “Good. That’s agreed upon. Ruby, as the newest Den Mother, it will be your task then to put together a scouting party. Of course, you may come to any of us should you require aid. You are not alone here… simply fresh blood. Understand?”

Ruby quickly nodded. It felt to her like no matter what Felva did or said she got the creeps, so she tried to end the interaction as quickly as possible and turn to her mate. “Vivian, will you help me in assembling the team? You must know the sergal soldiers better than I do.”

“Of course, love. I’m more than happy to help,” Vivian said with a smile.

“Elizabeth, how has the evacuation of our civilians proceeded?” Felva asked, moving on to the next topic.

“So far almost all of our civilian sergals have been moved as well as a great deal of the original Lightkeep citizens. Only key people remain to run essential shops and keep the food flowing in. We have also heard that a few of the tribes around Kas Ragnoc are requesting to come join us on the frontlines to prepare fortifications as well as prepare a counter-attack against House Black.”

Everyone murmured to each other before again Felva asked of the group, “All in favor of allowing the tribes to assist, raise your hand.”

Ruby, who’d been involved in efforts to quell tribal tensions that rose around the time that she was in her early twenties, leaned forward. “Which tribes are we talking about?” she asked, mostly directing her question toward the Scribe known as Elizabeth. “Not all tribes are as… trustworthy as the rest.”

Elizabeth flipped through a few papers, muttering to herself before she found the scroll which listed with tribe names and their respective number of members. “Looks like the… bovines as well as the eagles. Are you familiar with those tribes?”

Ruby nodded. “The eagles are trustworthy and always make for great allies. If they weren’t so damn prideful of who they were, I’m sure they would have assimilated perfectly into our kingdom by now. The bovines, however… They’re alright, but frankly the bulls who lead them are dumb as rocks. I wouldn’t suggest letting them through the gates of this city. If you can keep them at a distance, though, they could make fine allies.”

Ruby watched as the Scribe took her words to heart and added what was said to the paper. “Are there any tribes you would recommend for defense of the city? Perhaps a better pairing with the eagles?”

“There is the tiger tribe,” Ruby said. “They are fierce, cunning warriors, though perhaps better suited to offensive applications rather than defensive… There is the bear tribe as well, but they don’t really listen to anyone’s authority other than their own.” Ruby ran through the remaining tribal groups in her head. “The foxes, perhaps, could be of great use to you, but there is just one small issue with that…”

“Don’t keep us in suspense, now! Tell me about those little fox tribals…” Stephanie said with a bit of a grin. Ruby got the sense that this Den Mother had a specific interest in foxes. Felva slugged her shoulder hard enough that it would’ve been considered an aggressive punch for most species. For the sergals, however, it was merely a playful slap. “Calm yourself, sister… Rise above your carnal fascination for a moment please and let Ruby continue.”

“The fox clan is very… ‘finicky’, I guess is the word you could use. They’re not like the foxes you found here in Lightkeep, who long ago modernized and left their tribal ways behind. Clan foxes won’t even let somebody in their territory unless they’re accompanied by at least one other fox.”

All at once, Felva, Vivian, and Stephanie looked and smirked at Sara. “Well what about that…” Felva said. “You’re rather cozy with that little fox soldier. Perhaps the task of bringing the foxes to us should fall to you, young Mother. It is time for you to show us that you are capable of pulling your weight in this difficult time. Are you up to this challenge?” Felva said this more like a command, but still paused to allow Sara a chance to speak.

Sara looked taken aback at first. She hadn’t quite expected to have such a prominent role in one of her first official meetings. She leaned out of her slumped position in her chair. “Uh, y-yeah!” the youngest Den Mother said. “I’ll have to ask Sam, but I’m sure I can make sure he says yes!” She looked around the room at all the other women. “It’d be my pleasure!”

“Good. That covers our two main topics for the day. Go and tend to your tasks. Stephanie and I shall keep organizing the troops. Fortifications are looking very good, but we shall continue to make preparations. Hopefully the tribes bring more supplies as well.” Felva looked around at everyone and nodded. She then turned to Ruby. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“No, ma’am,” Ruby said respectfully. She was about to turn and ask Vivian if there was anything else she needed to discuss with Felva, but through the bond she knew that there wasn’t.


	23. Change of Plans

After the meeting was concluded, Sara hurried downstairs to wake up Sam, who’d been sleeping in that morning.

Sam was snoring softly and cuddling his own tail rather cutely when he was woken up by Sara entering the room. He bolted straight up. “Hey! Hey, um… Oh man, did I sleep in? Am I late for roll call? Oh, wait… I’m not at the barracks…” Sam smiled shyly as he looked up at Sara.

“Good gods,” Sara sighed as she sat down on the end of their bed. “That Ruby of yours really has you whipped into shape, doesn’t she?” She chuckled, leaning over and gently running her fingers through his messy hair. “You sleep well?”

“Very well… Thank you for letting me sleep in.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “You are a wonderful sight to wake up to, I might add… I really loved spending the night with you.”

She blushed a bit. “The way you say that, you make it sound like we had sex,” she said softly.

“We didn’t, but I don’t have a problem waiting. I like our slower approach… I’m almost nervous to ask, but do you know if Ruby is ok? I wonder if she and Vivian got into a fight or something…”

She tilted her head to the side slightly. She hadn’t realized until this moment that she was privy to knowledge about Sam’s general that he was not yet. Still, she was curious what led him to asking that. “A fight?” Sara asked. “What ever would make you think that?”

Sam laughed softly. “You have met Ruby, right? She can be kinda… rough. I have seen her get into fights before, so I just wanted to be sure, is all.”

“Well, I can assure you that she and Mother Vivian did not get into a fight. In fact, um, it seems to be the very opposite!”

“Oh, good! That’s good. Guess I can’t say I’m surprised they hooked up.” He got up, still only in his underwear, and stretched, trying slightly to impress Sara.

“They did more than hook up, Sam,” Sara said, standing up as well and wrapping her arms around his almost nude body. She knew of the hurt this news may cause him, so she tried to physically comfort him before she broke it to him.

Sam lifted his eyebrow but still smiled at the hug. He knew there was more to what happened, so he waited for Sara to continue.

“They, um…” She looked away from him as she thought of a subtle way to break the news to him. “She was at our meeting this morning. And only Den Mothers and their bond mates were allowed at that meeting.”

Sam stiffened slightly, though stayed still and kept holding on to her hand. “I see… Was… Was she happy? Did she seem happy, at least?”

He turned to look at Sara. She nodded at first, then after another second of consideration slowly shook her head. “She and Vivian seemed tense. I mean, maybe she and her just had a rough morning. I will say though that I’ve never seen a sergal and a non-sergal bond so soon after meeting as they did… I can’t help but wonder whether that placed strain on their relationship.” She sighed and tried to distract Sam by gently running her fingers through the fur on his belly.

He sighed slightly, but then with a fast pull he grabbed Sara by the back of the head and kissed her hard on the lips. He pulled her hard against him for just a few moments “No strain on us yet, right?”

From so close up, she seemed to be examining his face as if to determine whether he was joking. “Um, have you already forgotten about yesterday, Sam Geraldson?” she scoffed. “The cow thing?”

“I felt like we have worked through that, yes?” he said, holding her chin softly. Sam smiled. “I forgave you. And furthermore… We bathed together, remember? Kinda fun getting that blood and gore off you…”

She broke out of his embrace and dove at the fox, knocking him over with her on top so that she may assault his face with kisses. “I do remember,” she said after her barrage of affection. “That was lots of fun. And it was tasty to lick it off of you, too.”

He grinned softly and kissed her back. He got lost in the affection for a minute before, with a sigh, he asked. “I take it we have a task? Or Ruby has something for me to do? Or am I really all yours?”

She raised her eyebrows. “I’m surprised by you, Geraldson,” she said.

“Surprised?”

“Surprised that you were able to correctly guess that we had a job to do! Or are you just that used to that General Ruby constantly finding something for you to do?”

“I’m used to being useful. If I’m not told to do something, usually I’ll volunteer, or even start giving orders,” Sam said with a smile before he pulled away from Sara’s enticing touch. “So, what’s the task?”

“You ever wanted to reconnect to your fox kind?” she said to set her up for her real question.

Sam laughed slightly, giving Sara a curious look over his shoulder as he started to put on his armor. “I’m not sure what you mean, but… I definitely wouldn’t mind! Fox culture is so free and alluring.”

“We need additional troops to reinforce Lightkeep. Your general proposed asking the fox clan for help, but told us how they only like to talk to other foxes. Do you think… you’d like to help with that?” She was sitting on their bed, looking up at the fox as he got dressed.

It was Sam’s turn to be surprised by Sara. “You’re… asking for my help with this?” Strapping his sword to his side, he smiled and walked back over to Sara. “Since you asked me, I would love to help you. As a warning, though, I’ll let you know that foxes are what you might call… free spirits? So be prepared to get hit on a great deal. But if you’re ready to visit them, I’m at your disposal, Den Mother!” He gave her a bit of a wink as he used her official title to make her feel even more important.

She blushed a bit as he referred to her by her title. Sara stood up to help fix Sam’s lopsided sword sheath. “I don’t know quite when we’ll be heading out. Would you like to grab breakfast first?”

“Sounds lovely… Wanna blow up another animal?” Sam teased as he wrapped an arm around her waist and let her lead the way to the kitchen.

“Careful, or the next animal will be you,” she teased right back.

———

As Sam and Sara headed down the stairs to the kitchen, Brynjolf walked past them going in the opposite direction. He was wearing very common, comfortable clothes that had a rather deep opening in the front to show off his red-furred chest. He leaned an ear up to Victoria’s door and listened quietly. ‘She’s still asleep, that’s good,’ he thought as he opened the door and walked up to her bed. He set the tray of food down quietly and gently rested a paw on her shoulder. “Hey, V… Come on, wake up. I made you breakfast.”

“Hmm?” She purred as she slowly rolled over in bed with a stretch and a yawn. Her eyes were still shut but she could smell the food. “Oh, babe, you’re so sweet…” she said blearily, leaning over to kiss Lucian’s cheek. It was odd, though. He smelled a little different.

Victoria felt a firm hand gently slip over her throat and grip the back of her neck. It kept her from leaning any further forward and kissing more. She heard a soft chuckle. “No problem, babe. Anything for you.”

‘That didn’t sound like Lucian,’ she thought. Victoria opened her eyes. “Oh my gods, Brynjolf!” she exclaimed, immediately scooting away from the sergal. “I thought you were Lucian!”

“Oh, really? I couldn’t tell at all,” he laughed loudly and held up his hands to profess his innocence. “You slept in, but I made you some breakfast. I hope you like omelettes. I kinda remember how my brother cooks, so I did that for you. Hope you approve.”

She looked up at him, embarrassed, as she took the plate of food. “Um… Please don’t tell Lucian about this, ok?” she asked as she picked up her fork.

“It was an honest mistake, Victoria, don’t worry. And secrets cause issues—remember that. When he hears we have been talking, he’s already going to ask if we had some… ‘private time’ together. It comes with my role, so I’m not offended by it. But please, don’t hide things from Lucian, ok?” He said, keeping his calm, happy demeanor. He grabbed a smaller plate off the tray he’d brought and started to munch on a bit of fish and eggs. “Not bad, right?”

“Pardon me?” the snow leopard said after swallowing a mouthful of omelette. She was too distracted by his enigmatic occupation to give an honest review of his culinary skills at the moment. “Your ‘role’? You’re Den Red, so that makes you…?”

“Oh, I’m part of House Red and I’m solemnly sworn to protect Vivian and Sara.” He almost returned to eating before he realized that he needed to explain more when he looked up at Victoria’s befuddled face. “Oh, that means I can never bond with anyone. I have to keep my focus on the Mothers… That being said, I was given the occupation of being a breeder. You can imagine what that means, yes?”

She choked a tiny bit on her food when he told her what his job was. “Oh! That… That’s a whole job here, is it?” She didn’t know how else to respond. She just hadn’t expected that.

“Well, you know… There’s lots of beautiful, fertile women around, much like yourself, that can do with a good breeding to give them beautiful sergal boys.” He looked a bit proud of himself.

She looked into his eyes and could tell he was serious about his work. “How many, um, children have you fathered so far?” she asked the burning question.

“Safe bet is probably close to a hundred.” He shrugged and finished eating. “It’s hard to get away when I’m watching the Den Mothers.”

“Woah,” Victoria said. “Do you keep in contact with the children or their mothers?”

“Some, perhaps some of my first, I’ve already seen become a part of our soldiers. They understand my position and don’t expect me to visit, but from time to time I’ll visit them when I can. As for the mothers, there were… a few I consider to be lovers and not just flings. It’s considered an honor to be with me in our culture. Sometimes I will even be asked to spend the night with a sergal and his bond mate. I take it from your surprise and interest that your society doesn’t have such a… carnal role?”

She shook her head. “No. In Kas Ragnoc, we simply have jobs, and if we choose to produce children on the side then we do. But with a gender ratio such as the sergals’, it’s no wonder you have a role like this… Where do you get your women from? Are they all spoils from the tribes you’ve conquered in the past?”

“Yes, and I am aware that our tribe-conquering past sounds rather… aggressive. But when we took on tribes, we would make them a part of us. If we don’t have women, we can’t keep growing as a species. Whenever we could, we would trade for women or even have champions fight for them: one soldier from our side against one of theirs. The fights rarely ended in death, but it was a good way to settle a problem.”

Bry noticed a bit of a troubled expression from Victoria and added, “All of the women were consenting when it came time for the lovemaking, of course. At least, it was in the case of our Dens. House Black rapes and plunders, while we bargain. There are times when we have taken a tribe and there is a rough patch during the integration. We may be a bit rough with enforcing our rules, but as far as I can tell none of ours have ever forced himself onto others. I especially have never bred with someone who did not wish for it.”

Victoria nodded slowly. “Well that’s reassuring to hear.” She set her plate, now empty, down on the bed and stood up with a stretch. “How’s Ruby? Did she get along with Mother Vivian?”

“Hmm, yeah, you could say that. You might wanna sit down. I have some things to catch you up on,” he said, breathing out a chuckle.

Ten minutes passed as he told her all that he found out: the bonding, the meeting, and what would be happening in the near future concerning tribes possibly coming to support Lightkeep.

When Brynjolf was finally done talking, Victoria immediately stood up again. Despite not being told that she would be needed, she seemed to believe she would be. “Very well. Will I be headed out to investigate the disease, or will I accompany Sam and Sara?”

“You… so far haven’t been given orders, actually. But… you might also want to go check yourself out in the mirror.” He gestured to the corner of the room where there was a full body mirror.

Curious what he could be going on about, Victoria walked over to the mirror. “Oh my gods!” she exclaimed. All she had worn to bed was a pair of shorts and a brassiere, leaving her midriff exposed. With her belly plainly visible, she could now tell that it had a slight curve to it, but not the type that would form from fat alone.

She turned to Brynjolf. “B-but it hasn’t even been a week since Lucian and I… Do sergal young really just develop that fast?!”

He stood and, being his rather forward self, almost touched her belly. He stopped short as he remembered his manners. “May I? I’d like to see something. Trust me, I know how to be gentle when I want to be.”

“Uh, s-sure,” she said, taking her own hand off her belly so that he could feel.

Cupping his hand, he touched the bottom of the slight bulge and closed his eyes, rubbing slowly up and in a circle. His other hand was on Victoria’s lower back. “The baby is growing well… Strong, too. He must be a big one to show up already. Sergal pregnancies are much shorter than other races’, though the lengths vary heavily depending on the partner’s biology. My fastest born child was in just under two months whereas my longest was close to six. But from what I can feel, your womb seems to be accepting the baby well. Seems you’re… easy to breed.” There was something slightly sensual in the way he said that, but his hands pulled back quickly as he remembered his place. He rubbed his head like it hurt. “Sorry, need to breathe for a second. Please put on something comfortable.”

Victoria caught on to Brynjolf’s discomfort but couldn’t imagine what had caused it. After all, he wasn’t the pregnant one here. “Bry, everything ok?” she asked, gently grabbing his hand. She felt his cheek to see if he was warm.

He interpreted the gesture differently. As if by instinct, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him. Victoria could see and feel what was wrong with Brynjolf. He had the same look in his eyes that Lucian did when he wanted to have sex with her. It was almost like the male sergals’ equivalent of heat. There was a sense of overwhelming need coming off him as he pushed his lips onto hers hungrily.

Victoria immediately protested once she felt his lips touch hers. She pushed her own body away from his and slapped him on the chest. “Bry, no!” she shouted at him. “What’s the matter with you?!”

That seemed to snap him out of it and he seemed to instantly acknowledge his mistake. He knelt and kept his gaze low. “Forgive me!” He took a few breaths and rubbed his head more. “Your scent was starting to drive me crazy. so I stepped back. But when you touched me it… I don’t know how to describe it. I felt a great need to kiss you. For some reason I thought that you wanted me as well.”

As upset as Victoria was, she could see that he was being honest. She slapped him across the face. It wasn’t the hardest she could muster and she kept her claws retracted, but she wanted to seriously warn him not to try that again. “You know I’m loyal to Lucian!” she growled at Brynjolf. “Don’t ever try that on me again!”

“Alright, alright!” He couldn’t help but give a slight smile. “Might seem strange, but… I’m very happy to hear you say that. And it won’t happen again, just… If I take a step back, don’t pull me closer to your body like that.” He stood, feeling that things were now resolved. “Now, let me clean this up and see about getting you clothes that will accommodate your belly!”

Victoria looked down at her slightly pudgy tummy, giving it a little pinch. “It’s still gonna get so much bigger, isn’t it?” she sighed.

“Much, much bigger. I’m guessing you have a month before you start finding it something of a struggle to walk easily. Don’t worry, though. As long as I’ve been commanded to take care of you, you will want for nothing.” He smiled and walked out the door with the tray of dirty plates.

She smiled at Bry as he left out the room. She remembered something Lucian had said when she broke the news of her pregnancy to him—something about their boy being old enough to pick his house sooner than she would have expected for a male sergal. She told herself not to forget to ask Brynjolf later about the rituals a male sergal would have to go through. But for now, she had to see about these maternity clothes. As excited as she was about the baby, she wasn’t thrilled about how her body was going to change.

———

Vivian led Ruby down one of the many streets of Lightkeep, several guards surrounding them. A few shops were still open, but for the most part the town looked to be empty. “What soldiers did you want to see?” asked Vivian. “Any in particular?”

“This is a dangerous mission,” Ruby stated the obvious. “Anyone who comes with us on it risks catching the disease and maybe even dying from it. We should spend as little time behind enemy lines as possible, then get out of there as quickly as we can. What sort of soldier is best suited to that?”

“There are a good number of soldiers in House Winter who specialize in stealth. We call them Hunters. I’ll show you to their barracks, then.” Vivian made a sharp turn from the main soldiers’ tents and toward a smaller tent on the outskirts. “Do you want to take the lead on this, love?”

Ruby was about to argue that Vivian should because they were her soldiers, but then the general remembered that they were hers now, too. Not only that, but she now knew just as much about them as Vivian did. “Yeah,” Ruby said with newfound confidence, “I think I will.” She strutted into the tent housing the special contingent of Den Winter soldiers.

Inside the tent were almost a dozen tall sergals. Their white fur was covered by dark, mossy cloaks. Upon the two Mothers’ entrance, one of the older scouts gave a sharp bark and everyone stood to attention, getting into a line and standing perfectly motionless. Ruby couldn’t deny that they put most of her soldiers to shame with their discipline. After a second or two he barked again and they all knelt before Ruby and Vivian. “Den Mothers, to what do we owe the pleasure?”

‘How do they already know I’m a Mother?’ Ruby thought to Vivian as she looked over the men, keeping an eye out for whoever looked to be the fittest for the job. All the men looked especially fit, but there was something that felt off about all of them. There was something about them that was different from the other men Ruby had met.

‘Your scent… Also, you might not have noticed but you’ve been walking like me since this morning. Tall and powerful… and beautiful.’ Vivian gestured them to stand and they did. All of them seemed seasoned—scars and wear to their bodies that they displayed proudly. The eldest approached the women and seemed to wait for their command.

‘Intriguing…’ Ruby thought. She hadn’t even noticed any of what Vivian was talking about, but she was absolutely right. She’d adopted nearly half of Vivian's casual mannerisms, and as she looked over the sergal now, she saw that Vivian also seemed to have taken on some of hers. She was even holding her tail aloft just as Ruby did when in the presence of her own soldiers!

“You’re their leader?” Ruby said aloud.

“Captain Davis, House White, Den Mother. Head scout. We don’t have a leader per se, but they look up to me and I keep everyone equipped and ready to hunt.”

Ruby nodded. “Do you men think you’d be able to infiltrate the House Black-occupied city of Reafport to steal secrets about a planned plague?” she asked as bluntly as she could. Her hopes would be that the unfiltered explanation of the mission’s perils would weed out any of those too weak-willed to participate in it.

“Of course, Den Mother. How many should I take with me? We can leave within the hour after we get our boat loaded and ready.” If he was supposed to be worried or afraid, he didn’t show it. “Will we have any native, non-sergal support on this, in case we need someone to speak to the Reafport citizens or prisoners, should we find any?”

Ruby stopped and seemed to stare blankly as she talked to Vivian in her head. The following conversation occurred over the space of just a few seconds.

‘That’s a great point,’ the skunk thought. ‘I hadn’t even considered that, but he’s right. We need this information as soon as possible, but the only Kas Ragnoc citizens in Lightkeep right now are Sam, Victoria, and myself. Sam is needed on the fox clan mission, and Victoria is pregnant… Vivian, do you think I should go on this mission?’

‘I… I don’t want you to go, even though you would be safe with the Hunters—as safe as possible, really. I won’t stop you, of course and you’re right that you are the best possible choice.’ Vivian was very nervous about it, but she also supported Ruby fully.

‘Don’t worry, dear…’ Ruby thought. ‘I won’t let anything happen to me. And I’ll be in mental communication with you the whole time, right? The bond does stretch over distances like that?’

‘If you allow me to, then yes. With me it won’t be hard. If you are confident, then I suppose you can go, love.’ Vivian gave Ruby a small nod before looking back to the captain. “Captain, my mate, Den Mother Ruby, will be the one accompanying you to Reafport.”

The soldier seemed slightly surprised but nodded all the same. “As you wish, Den Mother. How many men will we need? I strongly suggest a group of four or less.”

Ruby answered, “I’ll leave that up to you, but four does sound like a fair number. And you said this would be… on a boat?” Vivian could see the skunk’s nearly crippling fear of boats and could feel her anxiety rising as well as her own. The fear was the textbook definition of irrational: she’d never had a bad experience on a boat and she knew how to swim, but something about being so far away from dry land had scared Ruby ever since she was a girl. ‘I’ll be ok, Viv…’ Ruby assured her. ‘So long as I’m permitted to “self-medicate”, I should be fine…’

As if picking up on Ruby’s discomfort, the captain added, “For a majority of our trip we will still be able to see the coast.” He saluted and turned around. Scanning the men, he walked slowly and stopped by one man and patted his shoulder. The soldier looked happy to be chosen and stood. He grabbed minimal gear and went to the back of the tent. Cpt. Davis did this one more time before joining his two comrades who would be joining him.

Together they all spent some time kneeling in front of something in the back of the tent that Ruby couldn’t quite see. Each soldier lit a candle and then headed out the back door. The captain looked at all the remaining soldiers and gave a wordless nod, prompting the remaining Hunters to salute him in return. The captain called out to Vivian and Ruby, “We will be loading the boat at the pier. We depart at your word, Den Mother!” He then turned and left.

‘If we’re done here, let’s go,’ Ruby thought to Vivian before they made their way out through the way they came. “What’s their deal?” she finally asked once they were outside and a small distance away from the tent. “‘Hunters’, are they called? Why are they so… weird?”

“They are… efficient. Unlike most of our warriors, Hunters don’t have to be from House Winter. They can be Reds, or even Scribes. They are all warriors who have lost their bond mate. They have no sons or legacy to carry on. A part of them died along with their loves. They fear nothing now. The shrine has the last item from each of their bond mates, and they light a candle with the item as a form of prayer.” Vivian felt sorry for them. Despite her usually tough attitude, she quickly rubbed her eyes. “Captain Davis lost his wife in the assault from House Black.”

“Good gods…” Ruby said, sharing some of Vivian’s sorrow as her own. She could feel her heart grow heavy. “This… I suddenly don’t feel as good about using them in this mission, babe… These are broken men, stripped of what they love. Wouldn’t the compassionate thing be to love and support them, not to exploit them as fearless soldiers? How do you think they felt seeing us, two happy bond mates, wander right into their tent?!” She didn’t even notice it until she felt the tears roll down her cheek, but Ruby had started crying as well. These must have been those strong, sergal emotions.

“This is not forced: These men are choosing to honor their loves. In a sad way, I trust them more than I would Brynjolf or Lucian. The Hunters obey us Den Mothers, yes, but more importantly they fight for the memories of their loves, and when they die they will finally… finally get the rest they truly deserve. Ruby, you have my word: I would trust your life to no one but the best, and they are by far the best.” Vivian stopped and had to struggle to compose herself. She gently took Ruby’s hand. “I do not know how it made them feel to see us together, but I’d truly like to think it reminded them what they are fighting for.”

Emotional and not wanting to show her tearful face on the public street longer than she already had, Ruby quickly pulled her fellow Mother in for a tight hug. She didn’t say a single word, not even in her head. She was just thankful for what she had, which extended behind just their relationship.

Vivian returned the hug, wrapping her tail tightly around Ruby’s back. Several long minutes passed before Vivian softly spoke. “I see the world differently with you now… I haven’t cried like that since I was just a girl. I’m thankful to have you to share these emotions with.”

Ruby didn’t say anything back, but Vivian could feel strongly that she felt the same way. And to think, Ruby initially bonded with this woman just because of how sexually attractive she found her!

Vivian pulled Ruby’s face up and kissed her like it was the very first or last kiss she might ever give. She let it linger awhile before she pulled back. “We are Den Mothers, and we have a job to do. Are you ready?”

Ruby nodded, wiping tears out of her own eyes. “Yes, I’m ready.”

Ruby and Vivian headed back to the Den Red manor to inform Victoria and Sam of Ruby’s decision to take part in the mission to Reafport. There they also learned of Sam’s choice to comply with what Sara asked of him and head to the fox clan, as well as Victoria’s quickly developing pregnancy.


	24. Setting Out

Sara and Sam were in Sara’s bedroom getting ready for the trip. “They’re not dangerous, are they?” she asked of the fox clan.

“Compared to sergals or in general?” Sam asked, unsure of what exactly Sara considered dangerous. “They are still tribal, so they aren’t civilized, but they still make great guerrilla fighters. They’re great at moving quickly, and their archery skills are some of the best I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh, so you have actually visited them before?” she asked, hopping up to sit on a dresser while Sam continued to get ready. “Was that during one of your military missions?”

“Yeah, it was, actually! They hit a small convoy of supplies, and we went to investigate, my friend and I… Viper. We found their trail and started to track them down. It… didn’t go well for us. We ended up completely surrounded by archers. Lucky for me, I’m a fox and I said we came to negotiate. We talked for several hours and eventually decided on a compromise. They were given a much larger area to hunt wild game, and in turn they wouldn’t attack anymore transports. We ended the talk in… a tribal celebration.” He looked embarrassed as he loaded up his bag.

She caught on to his embarrassment. “Tribal celebration, hmm?” she chuckled. “Why don’t you tell me some more about this ‘celebration’ of yours, Sammy!”

“Well, um… there was a lot of drinking. And drunk foxes are very charming, let’s say. I don’t remember everything, to be honest. I was so drunk by the end of the night that I didn’t even realize when I was pulled into one of the sleeping tents and stripped out of my armor.” He coughed and looked at Sara. “You ready to go? I am! Let’s get on those horses already!”

“Sam, hold up,” she said. “Is this when you had sex with that other girl? You told me about one time you slept with somebody. Was this the other?”

“What? Oh, no! No, we didn’t have sex.” He smiled at Sara’s concern and explained, “Foxes crave physical touch—both sexual and platonic. So they stripped me out of my clothes and we all curled up in the tent together. It was really, really nice.” He said with a melancholy smile. “They were trying to show me that I belonged out there with them. It almost worked, too, but I remained strong and returned home soon after.”

Sara looked at Sam for a short while. “Do you… prefer them? The tribal foxes, I mean. Do you think you’d like to… fully return to your tribal roots someday?”

He smirked and pulled Sara closer. “Nah, even if it is a good, simple life. Perhaps if I had nothing going for me I would, but I’m very happy to be here… especially with you.” He added that last part in a soft whisper.

She blushed and kissed his fox lips. “Well, as you said yourself, why don’t we get on those horses already?” she brought the conversation back around to the mission.

“Of course. Let’s go!”

———

Once everyone understood what their upcoming assignments were, Vivian pulled Ruby back into her room. “I have a gift for you, if you don’t mind.” The tall woman looked down into Ruby’s eyes with an eager smile.

Though Ruby could essentially read Vivian’s mind, she specifically tried not to so she didn’t spoil the surprise that Vivian clearly had in store for her. Nonetheless, Ruby was pretty sure she could guess what it was judging by the fact that Vivian had called her into her private bedroom. “Babe, I’m not sure now is the best time to fuck,” she said.

Vivian’s big tail whipped around and gave Ruby’s butt a spank as she laughed. “No, no ! Well I mean… while I’m always happy to be twisted up with you again, this time I have a physical gift for you.”

“Oh!” Ruby was pleasantly surprised. “Well, alright then. What is it?”

Sitting the skunk down on the edge of their bed, Vivian walked to the corner of the room and disappeared behind a lovely partition. She carried out some large, clearly heavy object underneath an ornate cloth. She set it down with a loud thud.

Watching Ruby’s reaction, Vivian gripped the sheet and pulled on it to reveal a beautiful set of armor on an armor stand. The metal looked unique, unlike anything Ruby had ever seen from her kingdom’s blacksmiths. The inside of it was padded with dyed dark purple leather, while the outside was decorated with beautiful engravings. It looked to be as strong as it was comfortable. “Let’s see how well this fits!”

Ruby gasped. “That’s for me?!” She stood up and approached the armor set. “Good gods… It’s amazing, Vivian! Is this made of that sergal metal I’ve heard so much about?”

“Yes, it is indeed… It is very special and old. This actually used to be my armor. As you can see, we female sergals range greatly in size and frequently undergo massive growth spurts when we’re younger, so this armor has lots of flexibility and extra straps to tighten and form it to your body.”

“Very nice…” the skunk said, rubbing her hands along its outside. “Well, will you help me try it on?” She tried lifting the chestplate off the armor stand, and it came off much more easily than Ruby had been expecting. The metal was so light, in fact, that the heaviest component of the armor seemed to be the leather inside it.

Vivian smiled happily as she started to undo the straps and fit the armor onto Ruby’s chest. Next she helped with the leggings, and then the large boots. As Vivian tightened up everything, Ruby could feel it settle perfectly snugly against her body. Looking into the large mirror, she couldn’t help but think that she looked good—in-charge and powerful.

“Gods… I look unstoppable!” Ruby remarked. She ran her paws down her shoulders and hips. “And I can still move so freely! Vivian, your people sure have some fine craftsmanship! Or should I say… our people?”

“Indeed you should. You are sergal, love… But no good sergal is complete without a weapon.” Vivian walked around the partition and fetched a box which was roughly a foot and a half long. She opened it to reveal a dagger unlike anything the skunk had ever seen. The handle was clearly draconic and felt scaly, making it easy to grip and hold on to. She pulled the sheath off and revealed the eight-inch blade of sharpened obsidian. It was polished so well that Ruby could practically see her own image reflected back at her in it. “Perfect for you, yes? We sergals have a hatred for most things dragon, but you… Your Master Fang has raised you a great deal. I know you would carry this blade with pride, yes?”

“Good gods…” She marveled at the dagger, and especially its blade. “This is amazing, Vivian!” She sheathed the weapon again before turning to the side and throwing her arms around her girlfriend and delivering a long kiss into her cheek. “You spoil me, you know that?”

Vivian grabbed Ruby very tightly, but thanks to the armor she didn’t feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. “I’m sorry for biting you when you weren’t ready. In return, I plan on spoiling you for many, many years.” She pulled back enough to kiss her lovingly. “So don’t die out there being a hero! Got it?”

She pulled out of the hug and smiled. “Of course,” she said. “You’ve seen into my mind, so you know how I fight. I’m not letting anybody take me down.”

“Good. That is what I needed to hear. Now, make me proud and go find us something to use against House Black.” She let go of her and handed the skunk a small pack of supplies that would be useful on the mission.

Ruby started toward the door but then stopped. “Think I could borrow some of your sergal money?” Ruby asked. “I need to stock up on some alcohol for this journey.”

“You are a Den Mother now, love; You don’t need money. You ask and the people shall provide, but do try not to overindulge yourself, ok?” Vivian said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah…” she said, completely intending to overindulge anyway. As she made her way out of the house she called on Vivian’s memories to look where she could find a liquor store.

‘I’m in your head, love. Don’t forget that…’ Vivian said with a clear note of disapproval for how Ruby brushed off her concerns.

‘Ah, shit.’ Ruby sighed aloud.

———

Sam guided Sara out of the Red manor, then led her to their private stable where he helped her get on her horse before he got on his own. “It’s most likely going to be a full day’s ride. Are you all ready?”

She checked her satchel full of supplies. “I’ve got enough food to last us at least a day. The tribe will likely have food to offer us as well, right?”

“Yes, they should, especially since I’m a fox. You’re lucky to know me, it seems.” He smirked and spurred his horse forward at a steady pace.

“Oh,  _ I’m _ the lucky one?” She walked her horse over to Geraldson, a mischievous smile on her face. “Do you forget that I’m an all-powerful Den Mother, Sammy?”

“Yeah, and you want to be with me.” He leaned over, across the gap between their two horses, and kissed her cheek. “I ought to consider myself the lucky one.”

“That’s more like it,” she chuckled as they kept on riding. “So, tell me, is there anything in particular that I should know about this clan? Customs, and the like? From what you’ve told me it sounds like they have a lot of those. I’d hate to accidentally offend them.”

He thought about it before shrugging slightly. “I can’t think of any big customs you have to know… Do remember that you are visiting them. You’re a Den Mother, and they should respect you, but you also should show them respect as well. Let me think… If they offer you a drink, it’s customary to drink it… And they would appreciate a gift as a show of good faith. Gifts for tribes are usually not expensive, but rather useful or personal—like something handmade, for example.”

“Uh oh,” she said. “Does that mean I’m supposed to make them something? I-I don’t have any crafts supplies on me. Should we head back?”

“No. We will be spending the night with them, so I’m sure you will have time to think of something. I’m sure they’d even accept it if you just did something nice with them, like joining them on a hunting trip.”

“Hmm…” Sara thought. “I haven’t done this since I was a young girl, but I used to make these little flower crowns out of tall grass and reeds. Think they’d like something like that?”

“That sounds rather adorable. Definitely should make you popular with the kids.” Sam looked around as they rode, telling himself to keep an eye out for any flowers that Sara could weave into crowns.

She smiled. “Phew. Glad we got that sorted out.”

“In general, just be friendly. And expect to be hit on. That’s just a warning.” He pulled out some jerky and munched happily.

“How aggressively are we talking?”

“Just… assume if they’re showing you how to do something, they’ll be flirting in some way. Lots of unnecessary bending, and all that. Archery and sex are their best skills, and they know how to use them to get an advantage over their targets.”

“Oh, I see.” Sara looked off into the distance. She kept expecting to see a fox archer waiting for them even though she knew they were still quite a distance from the clan’s territory.

“Hey, Sam,” Sara said after being quiet for a while. “What came first, the tribes or Kas Ragnoc?”

“Oh, the tribes. Kas Ragnoc was actually created when two smaller groups joined together. The clan of Kas and the tribe of Ragnoc came together close to… 600 years ago? Something like that. There used to be many, many clans: the dragons, wolves, lizards, and smaller ones like bunnies, squirrels, and badgers. But now they’ve for the most part adapted to civilized life—all but the biggest clans who choose to govern themselves to this day.”

“Do you think one day even those holdouts will merge with your kingdom?” Sara asked. “I’m sure they can’t ignore the prosperity your people are enjoying when they live and work together.”

“I’d like to hope so, but… They have so much pride in who they are as singular groups, not wanting to mingle with other races. It’s all rather idiotic when you think about where we all come from…”

That piqued her interest. “What?” she said. “You mean just you and the other foxes come from the same place, right?”

He slowed down to really give this conversation his attention. “I’m talking about what happened to us all so long ago, back when the world was all humans and dragons and possibly elves. One day, almost all humans merged with animals. Then we became this…” he said, looking down at his paws and imagining having human hands for a second.

“Wait, you were once all humans?” Sara asked. She found that notion pretty hard to believe. “You’re saying that you, Ruby, and Victoria were all once those furless creatures?” She’d seen two or three humans around Lightkeep when the native residents were still living alongside their new sergal occupiers. She found them rather unattractive but kept her mouth shut about that fact, presuming they already knew how odd they looked without any fur.

“Well… yeah. We don’t have a lot of records from then, but a long, long time ago—something like over a thousand years ago—foxes and furred animals were all like… like fish! They couldn’t talk, weren’t very intelligent… They were all feral, wild creatures. Then something happened, some kind of massive surge of magic. And we became merged.” Sam looked excited to talk about the topic.

“…Woah,” Sara said. “That’s a lot to take in… I mean, I guess that would sort of make sense. Humans are basically blank, stripped-down versions of yourselves. And it’d explain how you can all breed with one another, and the offspring can be either the mother’s or the father’s species. Meanwhile for sergals it’s always going to be a sergal baby.”

“Huh, that’s an interesting point. Perhaps your race was around as long as the humans and dragons. Maybe that magical surge is why sergal females are so rare and powerful! We will have to look more into that later.”

“You know, that’s the exact kind of thing that House Scribe is usually tasked with finding out. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve already done research into this very topic. Maybe when we get back from visiting the fox clan, if we have the time, we can stop by the Scribe manor and ask if they have any records.”   


“I’d really like that. I’ve always been curious about it.” He smiled and offered some nuts for her to chew on. They still had at least another few hours to travel before a Fox scout would spot them, but with the company he had, Sam didn’t mind the journey at all.

———

The skunk stood on the dock, a tall bottle of whiskey in one paw, and the sack that Vivian had given her—whose contents she hadn’t even checked yet—in the other. She felt uneasy just standing on the wooden pier above the water.

Anxious, she took a deep breath in and out, inhaling the sea air in an attempt to calm her nerves. This didn’t do much, so she went on to what she knew would work. Peeling the wax off the mouth of the bottle and dropping it into the waves below, she raised the bottle to her lips and took a long swig. She recoiled for a second afterwards, nose scrunching up as she winced at the burning sensation. It was stronger than the other liquors she was accustomed to drinking, but that only reassured her further that it would do its job.

She took another deep breath, then stepped foot onto the plank that led to the docked boat.   


“Den Mother present!” Davis barked at the other two sergals who stood up and saluted Ruby. Davis could instantly tell she was anxious, so he dismissed the other two soldiers and walked over to her. He directed the general to the stairs that descended into the boat. “It is much more comfortable below decks.”   


“Is that also where it’s easiest to shut my eyes and pretend I’m not onboard a floating coffin?” the skunk asked. Though the question was phrased comedically, the look in her eyes said she was serious. She wasn’t smiling; She just seemed to truly dread being there.   


“Yes… and if I may be so bold, the whiskey will take the edge off, but when we hit waves the churning will have you vomiting. Come with me.” He nodded to the other two who pulled the ship off the pier and started to slowly sail away.   


She nodded and followed the solemn sergal. “I don’t know, I’m pretty good at holding down my alcohol. This should be a fun test of that, though.”   


“Hmm.” He didn’t say much as they walked down the stairs. On the lower was where most of the gear was stored, as well as a small table bolted to the floor and a very out-of-place ornate chair. “I have some mint and cinnamon. Chewing helps.” As if to prove his point, he popped the stick of cinnamon into his mouth and gave a weak smirk. It looked tired, but still genuine.   


She looked at him with a small smile. “Don’t tell me you brought this chair here just for me,” Ruby said, grabbing a sprig of mint and sniffing it.   


His smirk actually grew. “Well, when our newest Den Mother is personally coming along with us on a mission, we can’t help but get out the finer things. You even get a pillow.” His attitude was surprisingly casual for a sergal, especially for one talking to a Den Mother.   


“Wow, how fortunate I truly am!” she sarcastically said with a laugh. “Do your men here not usually get to sleep with a pillow?”   


“We don’t sleep much, Mother Ruby,” he said plainly, moving to rearrange some of the things in one of the bags stored below decks. As he turned away, Ruby could see some specks of blue in his fur. He was a Scribe.   


“Ah, I see…” Ruby lowered herself into the fancy chair just at the same time as a wave hit the bottom of the vessel. Her tail twitched in irritation as the seat came up to meet her rear faster than expected. The general exhaled a shaky sigh. “How long now did you estimate it would take to get to Reafport?”   


“Won’t really know for a few more hours. If it storms, we will have to stay further away from the shore so we don’t crash into the rocks, and dealing with the rough waves would slow us down. But if it doesn’t storm, we will get there in about 14 to 16 hours.” He seemed unfazed by the waves. “This your first time?”   


Ruby froze in abject horror. “Y-yes, it’s my first time,” she said quickly before asking what was really on her mind. “You think it might storm?!”   


“The sea is unforgiving at times. Chances are low, but I wanted you to be aware of the possibility.”

Even Mother Vivian could no longer ignore the terror stirring in the skunk’s head. ‘Love? What’s… Oh. Worried about a storm? You’re going to be safe, don’t worry. Make a friend and eat your cinnamon.’ Vivian spoke.   


Ruby let out yet another shaky sigh but reached forward for the cinnamon stick nonetheless. ‘You really think this’ll do me any good?’ she thought.   


‘Yes, I went through dozens of them during my travels. Mint will also make it easier to sleep and it’ll settle your stomach.’ Vivian said, slowly slipping away as Davis sat on a small stool and watched Ruby’s face. He could tell she was having a talk through her bond. He rubbed an old, faded bite mark on his neck before looking down to his notebook.   


‘Alright… I’ll take your advice. Love you, babe. Talk to you soon.’ Ruby shut her eyes and let Vivian tend to her own matters. She could tell the Den Mother was busy with something else.

When she opened her eyes again, she could see the Hunter known as Davis looking at her. “Oh, sorry,” she said a little shyly. “Just talking to Mother Vivian.”   


“Talented woman. You’re getting the hang of it rather quickly.” He scooted forward on the stool and set down two shot glasses on the table. “Feel like sharing a shot?”   


She looked at her bottle. With what her tolerance was these days, she had honestly planned on needing to drink the whole bottle over the course of the trip. As she looked at it again, however, she decided she should have plenty to share.

“Sure, why not,” Ruby said, leaning over the table and pouring the liquor into each small glass. She then reached out and took one of them.   


He clinked his glass to hers and threw it back. Afterwards, he said, “So… how’s it feel to be in charge of a people you had never even heard of just a month ago?”   


After recovering from the shape her face had contorted itself into as she swallowed the strong whiskey, she looked back to Davis. “I don’t want to get on your bad side for saying this, but… it doesn’t change a whole lot for me. My primary allegiance still is and always will be to Kas Ragnoc. For the most part I’m letting the other Mothers handle the sergal military.”   


He looked slightly confused. “Bad side? That’s not going to upset me. I’m just curious why a Kas Ragnoc general decided to become a Den Mother, as well as why she would volunteer on a… well, a dangerous mission with the likes of us Hunters?”   


She looked at the empty shot glass in her hand. “The reasons are pretty simple. I bonded with Vivian because I really like her. And I came on this dangerous mission because I want to see House Black defeated in this war, and acquiring information about their plot will be foundational to that.”   


“Fair enough.” He shrugged and bit a stick of the sweet cinnamon in half. “I assume you were informed on what makes us Hunters different. If you wanted to discuss it more, I’m prepared to be open about it…”   


She almost immediately shook her head. “I-I’d hate to bring back up those terrible memories of yours… It sounds like you men have been through enough already.” She sipped directly from her whiskey bottle.   


“Hmm. I appreciate it.” Davis slid his cup forward and pulled out a wine bottle and poured himself a cup. “Feel less bad for bringing this now. Feels nice to talk to someone, though… It’s been a while.”   


“Do you Hunters not talk among yourselves?” she asked.   


“We do, but it’s difficult. We are here because we have a hard time adjusting to life without our mates. I’m better at handling it than most of my brothers. That, and a good drink helps,” he said, pouring Ruby a small glass in case she wished to drink the wine with him.   


Ruby gladly reached forward and took the glass. Absentmindedly swishing the liquid around inside the glass, the skunk said, “Thank you, seriously, for taking the time to talk to me. I actually did forget for a moment that I’m currently on this godless vessel…”   


“You’re going to be an interesting Den Mother. Thanking me… I should be the one thanking you for even talking and drinking with me.” He smiled softly and drank slowly from his cup. “The grapes in this wine came from my old vineyard back at our homeland.”   


“Provided we don’t all perish in this war, do you think you’ll be returning to that homeland?” the skunk asked before trying some of the wine.   


“No. The land was scorched and defiled by the damn traitors. Maybe someday some of us will, but I have no wish to return. I like this new land. I do hope to see the rest of Kas Ragnoc. Perhaps I’ll even grow grapes again… but we have to end this damn war first.”   


“Well said.” Ruby knocked back the rest of her glass of wine and reclined in her seat, really starting to feel the buzz now.


	25. The Fox Clan

Sam and Sara were still riding when Sam started sniffing the air. “Huh, I think we are getting close… I smell other foxes! Are you ready to represent the sergals?”

Sara put on her best diplomatic smile. “I’ll do what I can! Luckily I’ve got a boyfriend who taught me everything I need to—”

Suddenly, they were surrounded, seemingly on all sides, by yipping and barking as little orange ears poked out from the tall grass, although even that was hard to see through the darkness of the night.

Sam held up his hands and nodded to Sara to do the same. “My name is Sam Geraldson. I’m a friend of the clan, and we came to talk.”

A fox man who looked to be in his early fifties was the first to stand up out of the waist-high grass of the plains. He looked at the two guests and their horses as he sniffed the air.

After a couple seconds of tense silence, his face lit up as he seemed to recognize the fellow fox. “Sammy!” he cried excitedly.

“Sammy!” echoed several other members of the clan as they too stood up straight and popped out of the grass and started toward the two newcomers. Now that they were making no effort to hide themselves, it was clear to Sara and Sam that they were flanked by at least a dozen tribal foxes. The males all wore loincloths to cover their sensitive areas—though the utility of said cloth seemed to be called into question with each step they took. The few women who were present wore nothing on their lower halves, but did wear chest bindings that seemed to be made from the same, plant fiber-based cloth that the men’s loin cloths were fashioned out of.

“Oh, boy. Um, they remember me…” Sam smiled shyly and waved, getting off his horse and walking up to the lead fox. In a very informal greeting, he hugged him tightly, both men laughing and seeming happy. “Great to see you again!”

It was a good thing that Sam chose to dismount his horse, because if he didn’t, the other foxes looked like they were so excited to see him that they would’ve yanked him down to the ground themselves. Even if the man who had first called out Sam’s name was the only one to have ever officially spent time with Sam during his military mission to the fox clan, all others took turns embracing and treated him like family.

“So what do you come here for, Sammy?” the male fox asked with a firm pat on the back. “And why have you brought this magical woman?” It seemed he was capable of sensing the latent magical aura coming off Sara, who awkwardly waved back at him from atop her horse. No one looked to be interested enough in Sara to mob her as they did to Sam.

“That is a Den Mother of the sergal people. Her name is Sara, and she’s here to ask for your help. But before we get to that, we would like to join in on the night festivities! Sara here has been making flower crowns for the young ones, and, well, I’ve brought us a bit to drink!” He smiled and waved to a few other foxes who seemed to swarm him.

“Th-that’s right!” Sara chimed in excitedly, grabbing one of the little flower and grass crowns (which she’d earlier placed on the horse’s head to make her look prettier) and holding it out for all to see. Mere seconds after she did so, a juvenile fox scurried unseen through the grass, then suddenly leapt up from just beside Sara—spooking her horse a bit in the process—and snatched the flower crown right out of the sergal’s hand.

“Hey, bring that back here!” she called as the young fox was already scampering off with the gift she’d brought. No other fox seemed bothered by the apparent minor theft. In fact, they were all laughing as the boy ran off. Figuring losing this gift must not be a big deal for them, Sara decided to act like she didn’t care and just weakly chuckled along.

Sam was laughing as well. “See? I told you they would like it! If the kids like you, the other adults definitely will! Come on, let’s head into camp!” He linked his arm around the elder fox.

“I’ll have to make another one…” Sara sighed as she let Sam lead her toward the little village. She looked over to Sam’s horse and saw that one of the tribal foxes was holding on to Sam’s horse’s reins so it wouldn’t wander off.

Sam wandered into the tribe just ahead of Sara. Everyone seemed happy and acting friendly towards Sam. They were all so touchy, and Sara definitely understood better why Sam always wanted to hold and touch her. She had an all-new appreciation for just how much he had to constantly restrain himself from hugging her. Several foxes had excitedly swarmed Sara as well. They were all bowing politely before saying whatever was on their mind to her.

“Wow, your outfit looks amazing!” 

“How magical are you?!”

“How’d you make that flower crown?”

“Will you show me how to make that?!”

“Yes, yes, I promise I’ll show you how to make them later!” Sara reassured the excited children, though that didn’t seem to be enough to calm them down. The foxes, especially the young ones, always had a million more questions to ask the outsider.

“Sam, a little help?” Sara called out to her boyfriend, who was quickly getting whisked away by his fellow foxes.

“Oh, yeah, let me just… Hey, chief, any chance she and I could get a private tent where we can unpack our stuff? Please?” he said to the one who had been walking with him.

The chieftain quickly nodded and with a smile shooed away the kids. “Yes, of course. Let’s all go somewhere private then. I feel we have a great deal to discuss.” He turned and led both of them to a small tent just outside the main group of tents that formed the camp. After yanking her tail free from one of the curious kid’s hands, Sara followed Sam and the elder.

The three headed into the tent. The inside was lit simply by a small oil lamp, but that was enough to let them see around the small dwelling.

As Sam started to unload the bags from their horse, he saw several female foxes a short ways outside the tent. They didn’t hide very well the fact that they were trying to get a look at Sara and Sam.

“Before we get carried away by our celebration of your appearance, Sammy Geraldson,” the elder said, “shall we briefly discuss your reasons for coming here first?”

“Yes, I think that would be for the best…” He sat down on the soft rug in the center of the tent and waited for everyone to join him before speaking. “I know you are aware that we are in perilous times. My friend here is one of the Mothers who lead the good sergal people. Their rival clan, as you would probably say, are going to be on their way to the city of Lightkeep soon. If they can capture Lightkeep, they will move on and conquer the rest of Kas Ragnoc and the neighboring tribes. We need your help to hold out for as long as it takes to get all our civilians to safety before we fall back as well.” He paused to let the elder speak.

“So this is what a sergal leader looks like…” he said. “I was starting to think you were all males. I’d never seen a female one up until now.”

Before Sara could respond, he directed his gaze back to Sam. It would seem he was only interested in talking to his fellow fox. “Why do you think we should provide assistance to these invaders?”

“Because they aren’t invaders as much as… new allies. Helping them will help you. Their arrival has already caused the largest assembly of the various clans in recent history. They have gone through a lot already, and assisting them in the coming war will benefit us all.” He gave Sara a look to make sure she was ok with what he said. He knew that she wanted to speak but was holding her tongue for the time being.

Sara nodded along with Sam. “Even if our arrival on this land was unwelcome, I can assure you that we are not your greatest enemies. A faction of our species known as House Black is planning an attack that will destroy us all if we don’t work together.”

The elder was quiet for a few seconds, then said, “Well, I suppose if you have the trust of Sammy—not to mention all of Kas Ragnoc as well—you shall have our support as well.”

The chief stood up and gave them both one last warm smile before giving Sam a big hug, which Sam quickly returned. To be friendly, he also extended a hand to Sara to give her a handshake. “Should you two need anything tonight, let me know. We will have plenty of time tomorrow to talk about how we may assist in the war.”

“Oh, actually,” Sara said, “Sam and I were looking to get some food, considering it was a long journey here. Is there somewhere we may eat?”

“Yes. The tribe had a good hunt recently. We already have some stored away in the cellar. Sammy, you remember the camp, yes? I’m sure you’ll be able to get something for you both to eat!”

Sam nodded at the chief as he left the tent before looking over at Sara with a smile. “I’ll go and get us both some food! Will you be ok here?”

Sara yawned. “Fine by me. I’m sleepy anyway.” She looked down at what little they had laid out for her and Sam: the aforementioned rug and a loosely folded blanket. It might not be the most comfortable sleeping arrangement, but it’ll suffice.

Sam quickly kissed her cheek and then stripped down till he was shirtless and just in his pants.

“Uh, Sam?” Sara said as he removed his clothes. “Any reason why you’re taking _off_ your clothes before heading outside?”

He looked down and then out the tent. “All the other foxes are nude… You don’t mind, right? You have no idea how good it feels to be all free and natural. You should get comfortable as well! I’m sure everyone would like that! It Shows that you get it, you know?”

“I…” She looked down. “I don’t know. They might find it weird that I’m hermaphroditic. I might take my top off, but that’ll probably be it.” She knelt down to check out the blanket that was left with them and found it was a massive quilt.

Sam frowned just a bit and walked back over to Sara. She was bending down, still fixing the blanket, so he pushed her and quickly hopped on top of her. He kissed her fast before she could talk, then slowly pulled away. “You have no reason to hide that you’re a hermaphrodite… In fact, all you will probably do is sexually confuse both the guys and girls, and end up having both sides fight for your attention!” He laughed and smiled, holding her affectionately.

She smiled. “Yeah, maybe… But for now, I’m sleepy.” Sara patted the fox on the ass. “Now go get me some food so I can go to sleep, ok?”

“Heh, yes boss. Anything for you!” He strutted out the tent. The fox camp seemed active at this time of night, lots of its citizens out and about. Some people were making crafts while some were cooking food and keeping fires going. No matter where Sam went, he was greeted with a smile and a wave.

As he walked through the small village, he was stopped by a nude (of course) female fox. “Hello, Sgt. Sam,” she said affectionately. “Is there anything I can help you find?”

“Hi! Yes, I need to get some food for Mother Sara and myself! I didn’t want to take anything I shouldn’t, so would you mind helping me?” Sam did have to apply effort to keep his eyes up to meet the lovely female fox’s eye. He was definitely happy that he had kept pants on. Sam was starting to wonder how the male foxes got used to seeing nudity so often.

“Of course,” she said, turning around and expecting Geraldson to follow. Her tail swished gently side to side with each step she took. “I’m Mya, by the way,” the lady said. “I’m the chief’s daughter.”

His eyes got a bit wider. “Mya? Oh, wow, it’s been a long time then! We didn’t talk much, but I remember meeting you last time I was here! Thank you for helping me out, Ms. Mya!” he said with a slight bow, still keeping in step behind her.

She was thankful that she wasn’t facing Sam, as she didn’t want him to see her blush when he said he remembered her. “I’m glad you remember me, Sammy,” the girl said. “I remember you as well. You were a very brave warrior, even in the face of our warriors who apprehended you.”

It was Sam’s turn to blush, his heavy yet soft tail brushing against the ground as it swayed side to side. “To hear I’m brave from you is quite some praise indeed. Thank you. Meeting you all was a big moment in both my career and my life. It’s only a shame that war is the reason I returned”

She nodded. “I wish I could’ve seen you again under better circumstances as well… such as your joining the tribe.”

He sighed a little and looked down. “Your father also asked me to join last time I was here… Obligations to my kingdom stopped me before, and now my relationship with the Den Mother. But believe me, I do wish I could stay here. To be a free, tribal fox…”

She sighed and turned around upon reaching the pantry tent where they would get their food from. “Do you really think that sergal woman can satisfy you, Sam?” Mya asked. “She isn’t the same as us. Other species are not as affectionate and physical as foxes.”

“Why are you asking this? What’s it matter to you whether or not she can satisfy me?” he said, crossing his arms to try and hide the fact that he too had had these thoughts at times.

She quickly turned away and headed into the food tent. “It’s nothing,” she said hastily. “I’m just looking out for a fellow fox. Please don’t misinterpret my words.”

“Oh… Well, I do appreciate it. I know it must be strange to see a fox with someone else, but she’s really not bad! She’s caring and rather touchy for a non-fox.” He followed, wondering but not asking why she acted that way. He looked around the tent. Vegetables and freshly hunted meat was out for all as other foxes shared it and talked among themselves. It made him miss the barracks at home when everyone would gather together for a meal.

“Take whatever you need,” Mya told Sam. “If you need me for anything else, I’ll be in my father’s tent. It’s the biggest one, so you can’t miss it.”

“I’ll remember that, and same to you. Sara is tired, but I may be up for a bit longer. Please let me know if you need anything.” He bowed and quickly loaded up two simple wooden bowl before quickly heading back to Sara. All the while, his conversation with Mya was still lingering in his mind.

When Sam returned, Sara was already sitting on the rug with the quilt covering her lap. “Whatcha get me?” she asked excitedly.

He handed her the bowl. It was a mix of fresh greens: lettuce, tomatoes, onions and a few others. There was also a bit of stripped meat in it as well. Sam assumed it had come from a cow, though he couldn’t tell for sure. Sam sat down across from Sara and looked into his bowl with a smile. “Oh, I love the food here.”

“It looks good,” she admitted, starting to eat from the bowl with her hands and claws.

Sam brightened up as he saw that. “Hey, you’re eating like they would! I’m impressed to see it!”

She shrugged. “You didn’t bring any forks, so I’m just making do, Sammy.”

“Oh, uh, right… I forgot.” He quickly started to start eating so he would have a reason to not talk for a moment. Sam was happy to finally be having dinner after the long day of riding.

“How old were you the last time you came here?” Sara asked between bites.

“Oh, let’s see… I had already been eighteen for a few months at that time… So it was about two years ago, maybe a little more?” he said with a mouth full of meat.

“I feel so messy eating with my hands…” she chuckled to herself. “Like I’m a little kid.”

“It takes some practice, but it’s kinda fun this way. They do have some forks and knives but just don’t use them often.” He set his empty bowl down and moved a bit closer to his girlfriend.

Not much longer later, Sara yawned and slid her bowl closer to Sam. “You can have the rest. I think I’m gonna head to sleep.”

He took the bowl, happy to eat the rest. After doing so and licking his fingers clean, he set the bowl to the side and lay down beside Sara, eagerly wrapping his arms and tail slightly around her to cuddle.

She chuckled, her eyes still closed, as the smaller fox kept trying to spoon her. Sam practically climbed all over her as he tried to get comfortable. He was acting very touchy in ways that felt good yet annoying to the tired Den Mother, who, until last night, hadn’t ever spent the night with another person.

“Hold still,” she whispered to him. “I’m trying to sleep and you’re moving around too much.”

She was quiet for a second, then said, “Unless you need me to hold you down.”

Sam stiffened for a moment. Sara could feel his heart beat faster. “I… wouldn’t mind that…” His voice was soft and vulnerable. He was trusting Sara with this side of him.

Sara sat up and climbed over Sam until she was on top of him. She secured a grip on his forearms and held him down against the floor of the tent. “How’s this?” she asked teasingly.

Sam squirmed a bit until he nodded fast. “G-good! Uh, that’s a… really strong grip.” Sara felt Sam’s tail wrap around hers as if he still wanted to be even closer to her.

She leaned down and gave his cheek a soft lick. “I know,” Sara said smugly, “I’m pretty strong.” She gently nuzzled her face against Sam’s.

“Just a bit!” he said quickly. “I’m still strong, too…” He eagerly nuzzled back with a happy sigh. This felt amazing, being wrapped up with someone. He felt safe and warm. “You make me so happy, Sara.”

“Not as happy as you make me,” she told him before leaning down again and giving him a kiss. She let her body fall flat against his and the two cuddled.

Sam couldn’t help but smirk after she pressed her body against his. He kissed her neck slowly, nibbling on it since he couldn’t use his hands.

Sara released her grip on Sam’s wrists and instead held her paws against his chest, letting him softly bite her.

He realized how much of a tease this must be to a sergal. All he had to do was bite and he would be acknowledging that he wanted to bond.

Something hard poked Sara’s belly as he grinded against her. Sam was breathing heavily now and letting out soft moans against her neck. “You don’t seem tired…”

“Well, I was. But not anymore…” Sara reached down and took a gentle hold of his pants and tried to pull them down.

Sam grabbed her hands quickly and made certain that she was looking up at him. “Are… you sure?” He wasn’t asking because he was having second thoughts. In fact, the clear outline of Sam’s cock was enough to assure Sara that he was plenty interested. But still, Sam had to ask just to be sure it was what she wanted.

She stopped herself and muttered, “Fuck… I guess I can’t risk getting pregnant. Not at a time like this…”

He hadn’t even thought of that. Sam whined slightly, hard and now conflicted. A small wet spot had appeared at his tip. He was clearly very turned on at the moment.

Sara rolled off Sam and to his side before fully sliding down his pants. She took a moment to appreciate the first time she’d felt someone’s cock apart from her own, then gently took his member in her hand.

She began to slowly rub her paw up and down the shaft in the same way she liked to start out when pleasuring herself.

Sam let out a long and slow moan of pleasure. He lay back and watched her touch him. He wanted to touch and please her in return, but for the time being found himself too lost to pleasure.

She then started to move her paw up and down a little faster. “Is this ok, Sam?” she asked breathily. “Would you like to get… mine involved?”

“Any… Anything you want!” He said, sitting up and looking down at her crotch. He had never played with another person’s masculine genitals before, but he was willing to try—especially for Sara. “What do you want me to do?”

She chuckled a bit. “Well, I imagine anal during our first time is a bit intense, hmm? But that doesn’t mean you can’t still please me.” After letting go of his cock for a moment to remove her pants, Sara leaned over Sam and dangled her breasts in front of his face.

Sam nodded at her first statement but before he could say anything else, a soft, warm breast covered in her reddish fur was against his face. He leaned in and pushed his face deeper into her chest. His hand came up as well to squeeze and rub as he licked her, panting needily for her touch.

As she moaned at Sammy licking and squeezing her tits, Sara again reached down and resumed stroking his cock.

Sam made rather cute moans when Sara touched him. It was no secret that plenty of other sergals liked to bond with foxes. It rarely mattered whether they were male or female. It just so happened that foxes were often the only species capable of matching sergals’ intensity when it came to love and love-making.

Sara couldn’t help but be enticed and want to make Sam moan more, louder, and for her. The sergal picked up the speed with which she jerked him off. She too began to moan quietly as her nipples were sucked on, instilling her with a sense of euphoria.

Sara felt as a soft paw gripped around her cock and slowly stroked her in return. Sam’s eyes were closed as he moaned more loudly into her breast, his tongue dancing and playing with her nipple. He kept his legs spread slightly as he felt her start to stroke him faster and faster.

Sara could feel herself simultaneously growing both hard and wet as Sam kept playing with her tits. She was feeling a little needy as well, but she didn’t want to impose herself upon the fox. She still wasn’t quite sure how he felt about her cock, and she didn’t want to potentially ruin their first time by making him uncomfortable. Perhaps after he falls asleep, I'll masturbate real quick, she thought to herself as she kept stroking his penis. Sara could feel Sam’s cock throb in her hand. She knew he was close.

Sam suddenly rolled over Sara and pinned her down, still breathing hard. “Now you just hold on a second! I… want to touch you and make you feel good first!” He had determination in his voice as he looked down at her. Both their cocks were touching and grinding together.

“Y-you are!” she insisted. “You were playing with my tits!” Despite the fact that he climbed onto her and allowed their genitals to rub together, she tried to twist her hips to the side and minimize his contact with her penis for his sake.

Sam could tell she was trying to be careful with him, so he reached down and gripped both of their cocks together to really force his point. “It’s ok… It’s ok. Trust me, love.” His hand was just big enough to hold both their members. She gasped as her cock was grabbed, then just nodded slowly to Sam.

He slowly moved his hand up and down in slow, timed motions, moaning out just as he had before when Sara had stroked him. She withdrew her hand from his waist, seeing as he was taking care of pleasuring them now.

His hand moved a bit faster as Sara could feel Sam’s shaft slightly throbbing against her own. He bent his flexible body forward and started to suck on her breast again, tongue making slow rolls over her nipple before he bit slightly.

She squeaked a bit as her nipple was bitten. “Agh! Careful, Sammy!” she giggled.

“Figured as a sergal you’d like it,” he said with a smirk before leaning up and kissing her lips hard. He pushed his tongue into her mouth as he stroked them both faster and harder. Wet precum rolled down their shafts, making it all so wet and smooth.

“Fuck, Sam…” Sara groaned sensually after pulling her mouth off his for a moment. “I think you’re actually gonna make me cum soon…” She then placed her lips back on his and made out with him, not shying away from getting her tongue involved.

That made Sam get even more excited as he started to jack Sara off exclusively. His hand gripped her tighter, Sam stroking fast as he made out with her intensely. Moans and the smacking of lips were all that he could hear.

Sara wasn’t about to let herself be the only one to cum. She reached down and grabbed Sam’s penis again before jerking him off at a rate similar to that which he’d been treating her to.

Sam let out a long, shaky yelp as he came hard all over Sara’s chest. The fox whined and nibbled on Sara’s neck as he climaxed. He didn’t bite hard enough to mark her, but just enough to feel great on her sensitive neck. “Oh gods… so good…”

As Sara’s moans suddenly intensified, Sam could feel her hot, female cum spill out as well onto his belly. As he looked down, he saw her fluid was clear and a bit runnier than his.

Sam’s smile changed to a sweet laugh as he sat up and looked her over. They were both messy, but he loved it. “You… You look really good.” Sam bit his lip slightly, looking at the messy, beautiful, naked sergal before him.

He then smirked and grabbed her hand. “Quick follow me!” Sam pulled her up and ran with her out the back of the tent.

“Wait, Sam, we’re—” she began before remembering that to be naked was normal in this village. She just followed the fox, letting him drag her by the wrist outside.

He ran for only a short while before he turned around sharply, kissed Sara hard on the lips while wrapping his arms around her, and then jumped into what apparently was a beautiful little lake, taking the Mother with him.

“Gah!” Sara cried as she suddenly found herself splashing down in the lake. She had hardly even seen it coming up. As it was so dark out, the only indication that there was even a body of water was the slight shimmering of the moonlight off its surface. Still, she didn’t have time to process that before her body flopped down into the water.

“I-it’s c-c-c-cold!” she shivered as Sam held her. In spite of how upset she was with her boyfriend for pulling her into this freezing lake, she had to wade closer to him just to share his body heat. Sam just laughed as he held her close in the water.

Sam was of course cold as well, but he didn’t care. He pulled her close and kissed and held her like he was the happiest he had ever been. His hands then came around to her belly, where he rubbed Sara’s fur to clean her of both their cum. He spoke softly as he worked. “There’s an old tradition here… after a fox and their lover have sex for the first time, they must race to the water and dive in together. I don’t know the whole story but it has something to do with forever locking in the moment and symbolizing your new selves.”

“D-did the tradition s-say the water has to b-b-be so cold?!” she chuckled as she let herself be cleaned. She privately knew she wouldn’t have wanted to go to sleep slick with jizz anyway, but she wished she’d been given just a little warning before being thrust into cold water. Sara leaned in closer to Sam and kissed him on the lips.

Once they were both sufficiently clean, Sam tugged Sara back to land. He muttered a small prayer and held her hand before setting off back to the tent. A mystical warmth spread between them, and by the time they made it back to the tent, they were both dry. “Sara, I… love you deeply. “

“I… I love you too, Sam,” she whispered as they stepped into their tent. Sara yawned, as it was now quite late.

He laid down with her, cuddling her tightly as he too felt exhausted. It had been a perfect night, and in minutes he was fast asleep.

Sara dozed off as well, Sam held tight in her arms. Judging by how they were both wrapped around one another, it was clear that they hadn’t yet quite worked out who would be the big spoon and who was the little spoon.


End file.
